


Like a Fool, I Fell in Love With You

by Saturn_Silk



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Basically they are both Fools, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Smut, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:27:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22439497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saturn_Silk/pseuds/Saturn_Silk
Summary: Zelda Spellman, Greendale's local coroner, needs a date for her sister's wedding and who better than her colleague Detective Lilith Morningstar. Will they get away with it? Or will it turn into something more?
Relationships: Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith
Comments: 407
Kudos: 605
Collections: Madam Spellman 2020 Challenge





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first AU fic. This will be a multi chapter, non-magical modern AU. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Zelda was sitting at the breakfast table, enjoying her morning paper and coffee. Or at least trying to. Her sister, Hilda was trying and failing to be quiet as she was talking and giggling on the phone a couple of feet away.

“Yes, I know! Only two more weeks! No, I love you more,”

It was nauseating, to say the least. Zelda was relieved when she heard Hilda say goodbye. Thankfully they were not playing the _“you hang up, no you hang up”_ game anymore.

“That was Doctor Cee,” Hilda announced cheerfully as she took her place behind the stove again.

“I gathered as much,” Zelda replied curtly, hiding her eye roll behind her French newspaper.

“Can you believe we’re getting married in ten days!?”

Hilda continued to blabber on about the wedding. Zelda tuned most of it out. Of course, she was happy for her sister. Even though her fiancé was a strange man, Zelda knew he was a good match for her little sister. When they had first started courting a year before, Zelda had her doubts. He owned a literal shop of horrors that happened to sell food and drink. And he dressed as a vampire for crying out loud. But he got Hilda. He loved her deeply, and after a little chat with him (where Zelda may or may not have threatened his life) Zelda determined that he had no intention of hurting Hilda.

Zelda was lost in her thoughts and hadn’t realized Hilda had stopped talking. Zelda lowered her newspaper slightly to find Hilda looking at her.

“Spit it out, sister.”

“I’m sorry if I’m being insensitive. I know this must be hard for you after…you know your…”

“Divorce, Hilda. You can say it. And no, I’m perfectly fine.” She dismissed Hilda, hoping she would drop the subject.

“I’m sorry, it’s been a hard year for you. For all of us. First, your divorce, losing the business, Sabrina going off to college.”

Zelda noticed Hilda wiping at her eye with the hem of her cardigan.

“Honestly I’m fine Hilda. I’ve moved on.”

Hilda’s face immediately lit up. “Does that mean you’ve met someone? Should I add a plus one for you to the guest list?”

“Yes, yes you can.” The words were out before Zelda even had a chance to think it through. 

Hilda squealed in delight abandoning the stove once again and making her way to the table. “Tell me all about it.”

“I’m afraid I can’t,” Zelda replied, folding her newspaper and downing the last of her coffee. “I’ve got to get to work.”

Zelda practically fled the kitchen, grabbing her bag and coat on the way out.

“Why, why did you do that Spellman?” She exclaimed once she was in the safety of her car. She knew why. She was tired of being tiptoed around. Tired of Hilda feeling sorry for her. She truly was over her sorry excuse for a marriage. It’s not like she ever loved Faustus in any case. The sad truth, however, was that there was no one new in her life. In actual fact, it seemed people were just leaving her of late. Sabrina left for her first year of college in the Autumn, Ambrose had moved out with his girlfriend Prudence, and Hilda was set to move out after the wedding. And that was fine. Zelda liked being alone better anyway. Although she would never admit that living alone in the big Spellman house was daunting.

The shrill ring of her mobile phone startled her out of her thoughts.

“Zelda Spellman speaking.”

 _“Morning Zelda,”_ She heard the voice of her boss, Marie le Fleur. _“There’s a fresh body on the slab with your name on it. And this time it’s an interesting one.”_

Zelda sighed and started her car. Off to work it was.

Zelda was one of two coroners in the area surrounding Greendale and Riverdale. She was lucky to get the job since technically she wasn’t qualified. Thankfully she new Marie from their time in medical school when Zelda was studying to be a midwife and her experience as a mortician helped her to land the job.

With the small population of Greendale, it was very seldom that someone actually died. In fact, Greendale General was so small that it didn’t even have a morgue. Citizens who passed usually died of natural causes and were just sent to the Spellman mortuary, or the other funeral home in town after being issued a death certificate by Marie. Recently, however, the death toll in Riverdale had increased and Marie spent most of her time at Riverdale General Hospital. That meant Zelda was in charge of Greendale.

In the past few months since she started her new job, only 7 people had died and all of them of natural causes. That made Zelda’s work easy. She just had to make the short trip from Greendale’s police department to the hospital and issue a death certificate. The rest of her time was spent doing paperwork and studying for her gun license in her basement office basement.

The worst part of her job was the police department. A small town like Greendale didn’t need much law enforcement. It consisted of five police officers, two rookies, a captain, and one detective. All of them were men, except for the detective, and they made no secret that they didn’t appreciate Zelda’s presence. They felt like they didn’t need a stay in coroner, and to be fair she got their point. There were no murders or suspicious deaths. Most of their work consisted of apprehending petty thieves or vandalizing teenagers. Zelda wasn’t going to complain though. She needed the money.

When Zelda entered the police building she was greeted with a stack a paper being shoved into her hands.

“Spellman, you’re late.”

“Good morning to you too, Detective Morningstar.”

Lilith Morningstar was the only detective in Greendale, following in the footsteps of her late father. Or so the rumor went. Zelda didn’t know much about the woman. To be fair she didn’t know much about any of her colleagues. When she first accepted the position she was relieved to see another woman. She thought the Detective would welcome the addition of some Estrogen in the workplace and that they could even have a friendly working relationship. She soon realized that Lilith was very much one of the boys. She was nothing but cold to Zelda since the moment she started working there.

Zelda scanned the police report on their short elevator ride to the basement. A young caucasian male was found stabbed in a park and then transported to the hospital where he died. No ID and no murder weapon.

The ding of the elevator signaled their arrival in the basement. Zelda immediately put on her gloves and lab coat and got to work. She counted 6 stab wounds, as well as bruising on the boy’s arms. He was still young, around Sabrina’s age. She collected samples of the dirt under his fingernails and checked for any other traces of evidence. All the while she could feel Lilith’s eyes on her from her potion lounging against the wall.

“And?” Lilith enquired as Zelda peeled her gloves off.

“Well, there’s not much to go on. I count 6 stab wounds in total, most likely made by a common kitchen knife. With any luck, he fought back against his assailant and we can get some DNA.” She motion Lilith closer “See this. This bruising seems to be an indication of drug use. I’ll send off a toxicology report.”

Lilith sauntered over to stand next to Zelda looking at where she was pointing. “Good to see you’re not so useless after all.”

Zelda looked up, surprised by the almost compliment. Lilith’s eyes were twinkling and her blood-red lips were curled into a smirk. She was in her element. Zelda wondered when last she had a murder to solve.

“Anything else, Spellman?” 

Zelda blushed and looked down. She hadn’t realized she was staring. "No that's it for now."

“Okay. If you need something you know where to find me.”

Zelda listened to the sound of the elevator door opening and closing, signaling that Lilith was gone.

* * *

The rest of Zelda’s day went by uneventful. She spent the better part of the day looking for any evidence she might have missed on the young boy’s body. She felt a little out of her league since she wasn’t a forensic pathologist. By the time she got home her neck and back were paining from bending over the body. 

She had a small supper and was just about to take a bath when Hilda came home.

“Sorry I’m late! Cee and I had to go to the florist to make some minor adjustments.”

Zelda just nodded. She wasn’t in the mood for a wedding talk. 

“Before I forget Zelds, you have to tell me about this mystery person you’re bringing to my wedding!”

_Fuck._

Zelda froze. She completely forgot about their talk this morning.

“I told Doctor Cee and he’s over the moon that you’re bringing someone.”

Zelda knew she had to come clean. She could just say she was joking. Hilda was looking at her expectantly and Zelda started panicking. She was too proud to admit there was no mystery date.

“Come on, Zelda. Who is it?” Hilda pressed. 

“It...it’s Lilith. Lilith Morningstar.”


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for your sweet comments on the first chapter. I'm glad you guys like this so far!! ❤

Realization dawned on Zelda the next morning as she got dressed for work. She was truly and utterly fucked. And it was all her own fault. She laid tossing and turning the night before, desperately trying to think of a solution to her little problem. She was too deep in the hole that she dug for herself, and couldn’t bear to tell Hilda the truth now. Upon hearing who Zelda’s date was, Hilda was a little shocked. When Zelda first started her job, she told Hilda about her one and only female co-worker that seemed to dislike her for unknown reasons. Her sister didn’t question it though, much to Zelda’s relief. Hilda was over the moon that Zelda had met someone new.

There was only one possible solution now: She had to ask Lilith to be her pretend date, and possibly even girlfriend.

The thought of having that conversation with Lilith made Zelda feel sick to her stomach. Lilith already disliked her, now she was surely going to think she was crazy too. 

Zelda got dressed and did her makeup quickly, not even bothering to have breakfast. She wanted to get to work early, hoping to catch Lilith alone. When she entered the police building she was relieved to see no one else was in. She did notice Llilth’s car parked outside, so she had to be in there somewhere. 

Slowly Zelda made her way to Lilith’s desk. Lo and behold there she was. She was wearing a black pantsuit (which seemed to be a favorite of hers) and she had both her legs propped up on her desk. She was absentmindedly flicking through a police report and didn’t seem to notice Zelda standing a few feet away. Zelda took this opportunity to observe Lilith. Could she picture herself being in a relationship, albeit a fake one, with this woman? The answer was yes and no. She was as beautiful as she was infuriating. 

“I can feel you hovering” Lilith spoke suddenly without looking up from her documents. “What can I do for you this morning, Spellman? Did you find anything new on the boy’s body?”

“I…no.” Zelda was flustered. Embarrassed that she was caught staring. “Nothing new yet, I’m still waiting on the toxicology report. However, there is something you can do for me.”

That caught Lilith’s attention as she gestured for Zelda to sit in the chair opposite her. She placed her paperwork on the desk and removed her reading glasses. 

_How did I never notice that she wore glasses?_ Zelda wondered as she took her seat. 

“So...I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.”

Lilith’s face remained unchanged so Zelda hastily carried on before she lost her nerve.

“You see my sister is getting married in less than two weeks, and I am required to bring a plus one to the wedding.” _That part was not entirely true_ “I was wondering, hoping really, that you would agree to accompany me?” Zelda could feel the heat rising on her cheeks.

“Are you asking me out on a date, Spellman?” Lilith asked seemingly amused.

“No! I need someone to pretend to be my girlfriend just for a couple of days.” Zelda replied, her blush deepening. 

“Why? Just tell your sister you don’t have a date.” 

“It’s too late. I kind of already told her I’d bring someone.”

“Why?”

Zelda let out a deep sigh. “It’s a long story.”

“Why me?”

_Must the suffering woman ask so many questions?_

“You’re the first person that popped into my head.”

“Well, I’m afraid you’ll have to ask someone else.”

“I already told her it was you!” Zelda began to panic now. She hadn’t really taken into account that Lilith might refuse.

“Why would you do that?” Lilith’s eyebrows were knotted in confusion and annoyance. 

“I don’t know! I panicked. So will you do it? Please?” Zelda could feel her frustration rising. 

“No.”

“Fine,” Zelda huffed out. “Just leave it.” She had no idea what she was going to tell Hilda. She stood up walked away angrily.

“I’ll think about it!” Lilith called after her.

Zelda was still fuming by the time she reached her basement office. She tried to rationalize her thoughts. Of course, Lilith didn’t owe her anything. If she were in her position she’d likely decline such an absurd request as well. Zelda started pacing up and down the length of the basement. She had to come clean to Hilda, no matter how humiliating it would be. 

She spent a good hour trying to think of the best way to break the news to Hilda, but she came up empty. With a sigh she rummaged in her bag, searching for her pack of cigarettes. Smoking was a habit she’d been trying to kick for years. She’d manage to cut down significantly but still found herself reaching for nicotine, especially when she was stressed.

She grabbed her smokes and made her way through the building, ignoring the officers who were having their morning coffee. She slipped out the back entrance and into the closed of alleyway. When the nicotine hit her lungs she immediately felt calmer. She closed her eyes and rest her head against the wall.

The door suddenly swung open, startling Zelda. 

“Oh, there you are Spellman,” Lilith said, closing the door behind her. “I didn’t know you smoked.”

Zelda just shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk.

“Well, finish up. There’s a couple here claiming the description of our John Doe matches their son. They would like to identify the body.”

Zelda took a last drag before stubbing the cigarette out on the floor and following Lilith back inside.

Mr. and Mrs. Kemper were waiting at Lilith’s desk. Zelda introduced herself before she and Lilith led them to the basement. Zelda barely lifted the sheet before Mrs. Kemper burst into tears, hiding her face in her Husband’s chest. “That’s our Conner.” was all Mr. Kemper said.

After handing them each a strong cup of coffee they were all seated back at Lilith's desk. Lilith asked Zelda to sit in on the questioning. Conner Kemper was a normal young man. As far as Mr. and Mrs. Kemper knew he wasn’t in any sort of trouble and mostly kept to himself. Mr. Kemper ensured them that he was definitely not on drugs. 

Mrs. Kemper was inconsolable for most of the interview. “We couldn’t have children of our own, so we adopted Conner,” She admitted as they were leaving. “And now he’s gone.”

Zelda had to admit that it was heart-wrenching. She couldn’t help but think of Sabrina and Ambrose. A rogue tear rolled down her cheek once the Kempers were gone, and she hastily wiped it away, hoping Lilith wouldn’t notice. If she did, she didn’t say anything.

* * *

Zelda kept her distance from Lilith for the rest of the day and busied herself with updating paperwork. She got a text from Hilda, asking if she wanted to invite Lilith over for dinner the coming Friday, which Zelda ignored. It wasn’t until late the afternoon when she saw Lilith again. Zelda was just about to gather her stuff to leave when Lilith entered the basement. 

“So I’ve been thinking about your request.” She announced. “I’ll do it.”

Zelda was stunned. “Really?” She was sure Lilith was toying with her.

“Yup.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“I haven’t been to a wedding in ages,” Lilith replied with a smirk. “and who can say no to free food.”

Relief flooded over Zelda. 

“I believe a thank you is in order, Spellman.”

“Yes. Thank you. I owe you.”

“Indeed you do.” Lilith turned on her heel and made her way to the elevator.

“Wait!” Zelda exclaimed. “Uhm, speaking of free food, my sister wants me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow evening. Something about wanting to get to know you before the wedding.”

Lilith paused and looked over her shoulder. “I’ll be there.” she said shooting Zelda a wink before disappearing around the corner.


	3. III

Zelda checked her watch. 4:15 PM. She and Lilith were supposed to be at the Spellman house in less than two hours for dinner with Hilda and Dr. Cee, but Lilith was nowhere to be found. Zelda hadn’t seen Lilith at all actually. When Zelda arrived at work that morning Lilith wasn’t there, which was odd because she was usually the first one to arrive. Zelda surmised that she was coming in later, so she retreated to her basement office and got on with her day. She found it hard to focus though as she anxiously awaited for Lilith’s arrival so they could come up with some sort of cover story for their supposed relationship. 

The hours rolled by slowly and Zelda found herself going up to Lilith’s desk every now and again to see if the woman had arrived. Lunchtime came and went and worry started to settle in Zelda’s stomach. Was Lilith not coming in at all? Had she forgotten about the dinner? Or worse yet was she taking Zelda for a fool and planned to stand her up all along?

When Zelda went upstairs for what felt like the hundredths time she was questioned by one of the rookies.

“What’s up, Miss Spellman? Are you lost or something?”

She recognized the young man from Sabrina’s old high school. He was one of Sabrina’s suitors, Scratch something, if she remembered correctly.

“No, I’m looking for detective Morningstar.”

“Oh, why?”

Zelda froze. “I have an update about the case were working on.” She lied, hoping he wouldn’t press any further.

“Well, she said she was going into Riverdale to question someone. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”

Zelda just nodded and made her way back to the elevator. She felt calmer but still couldn’t shake the feeling that Lilith was playing her. Zelda had no choice but to wait. She didn’t have Lilith’s number or any means of contacting her. She suddenly felt like an idiot. The entire situation was absurd. What was she thinking? This woman was a practical stranger, and surely Hilda was going to see through them in an instant. 

Zelda’s panicked thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the elevator doors opening. Relief flooded over Zelda as Lilith came waltzing in. She was wearing a navy pair of jeans, black boots, a t-shirt, and a black leather jacket.

“Knock, knock,” she said as she plopped herself in the chair opposite Zelda’s desk. “One of the rookies said you were looking for me?”

Zelda was taken aback by Lilith’s more casual attire. The relief she felt when Lilith entered the basement was quickly replaced by irritation.

“Where the Hell have you been all day?” Zelda demanded.

Lilith raised her eyebrows at Zelda’s tone. “Questioning our victim’s employer and colleagues in Riverdale. Some of us do actually work for a living.”

“Well, I would have appreciated it if you told me.” Zelda huffed.

“Oh, so you’re the clingy type in a relationship hey?”

“Not funny. We have to come up with a story to tell my sister.”

“About?” 

“About ‘us’” Zelda said making quotation marks in the air.

Lilith’s eyes glistened. She enjoyed working Zelda up. “Just tell her we met at work and took a liking to one another.”

“That won’t be enough. You don’t know my sister, she’s a hopeless romantic. She’s going to want all the details.”

Lilith leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “So what are we going to tell her?”

“Let’s say we started dating two weeks ago? I asked you out for coffee and we got to talking.”

“No, no dear. I think I asked you out after I noticed you making eyes at me.” Lilith smirked. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off me actually.”

Zelda shifted in her chair. That was true. She had learned to appreciate beauty regardless of gender and there had been instances where she was watching Lilith when she thought no one was looking. “Fine, have it your way.”

“So, what else do I need to know about the one and only Zelda Spellman?”

“Nothing you don’t already know,” Zelda answered dismissively. 

“Humour me.”

Zelda sighed and proceeded to give a brief overview of her life. Just the basics. How she and Hilda were the legal guardians of Sabrina and Ambrose. How they ran the local mortuary until recently before a more modern funeral home opened up and took all their customers. 

“What happened to Sabrina’s parents? Lilith questioned. 

“Her father...my brother and his wife died when she was only a few months old.” Zelda said looking down at her hands.

“I’m sorry,” Lilith replied and for once she sounded sincere. A short uncomfortable silence followed before Lilith spoke again. “Any other dark secrets I should know off?”

Zelda’s thoughts immediately flickered towards Faustus Blackwood.

“I’m recently divorced.” She answered stoically. “Well, that’s quite enough about me. What about you?”

“I used to live in New York. No dependents.” Lilith said briskly, standing up before Zelda could ask any more questions. “Now come on, we don’t want to be late, do we?”

* * *

The drive home passed must too quick for Zelda’s liking. Her fingers where nervously drumming on the steering wheel as she watched Lilith follow her car in the rear-view mirror.

 _It’s going to be fine,_ she said to herself as she parked her car in front of the porch. She just hoped Hilda would buy their little act. 

When she reached the porch steps she felt Lilith’s hand slip into hers.

“What are you doing?” She hissed, ignoring the tingling feeling that spread up her arm at the touch.

“Well, playing the part of your doting girlfriend of course.”

“You don’t have to act if there is no one to see us.” She halfheartedly tried to free her hand, but Lilith wouldn't let her.

“I’m getting into character,” Lilith replied flashing Zelda a smile. “Now you better relax, otherwise this is never going to be believable.”

Lilith was right. Zelda could feel how tense her back was and she knew she better loosen up. She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders before making her way up the steps, still holding Lilith’s hand.

The initial meeting went well. Dr. Cee politely shook Lilith’s hand before taking her coat and Hilda pulled her in for a hug, which seemed to surprise Lilith. 

“You guys are right on time!”Hilda squeaked. "I’ve made a lovely vegetable pie.”

Zelda sat at the head of the table as always with Lilith on her right. Hilda’s cooking was delicious, but Zelda found she didn’t have much of an appetite. Thankfully the conversation flowed freely, mostly steered by Hilda and Doctor Cee. For once Zelda was happy to have Hilda gush about her upcoming wedding if it meant she was not the topic of conversation. Halfway through dinner, Zelda felt Lilith’s hand come to rest on her knee under the table. She flinched at the touch causing her work to clang against her plate. She tried to get Lilith’s attention, but she was seemingly very interested in Hilda’s retelling of finding the perfect wedding dress.

“Well enough about us!” Hilda said once she exhausted the topic of her nuptials. “Tell us more about you guys! How did this happen? She asked gesturing at the two of them.

This was the moment Zelda was dreading. She could feel her heartbeat speed up. “Oh well, there’s really not much to tell, Hilda,” Zelda replied. 

“Now don’t be shy, darling,” Lilith smirked. “You see your sister was taken by me from the moment we met. She just couldn’t resist my charm.” She said to Hilda. “Eventually I made the first move and asked her out for coffee. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“Ah Zelds, that’s so sweet! I was under the impression you two didn’t like each other much.”

“Oh, that was just sexual tension,” Lilith said winking at Zelda who nearly choked on her food.

Zelda aimed for Lilith’s foot under the table stomping on it in warning. Lilith just smiled at her. 

“It’s just so wonderful. Straight out of one of my romance novels.” Hilda exclaimed oblivious to what was going on under the table.

Thankfully that was the extent of Hilda’s questioning, and soon they were all seated in the parlor with a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits. Zelda and Lilith were sharing a couch. In Zelda’s opinion, they were sitting much closer than necessary. Their thighs were touching and Lilith’s arm was resting behind her on the couch. Lilith was the perfect dinner guest, complementing Hilda’s food and homemade biscuits. Dr. Cee too seemed to like Lilith as they talked about the murder of the young Kemper boy.

“I read about it in the paper. It’s just horrible.” 

Zelda tuned out the rest of the conversation. She could feel a headache brewing behind her eyes, most likely due to the stress of the day.

Lilith seemed to take note of this as she watched Zelda rub at her forehead.

“Well, I’m afraid I must be going. I’ve had a busy day.” Lilith announced, placing her teacup on the end table. “Thank you again for having me.”

“It was so nice to meet you, Lilith,” Hilda said getting up to hug her again. “We must do something again before the wedding. Aren’t you going to walk her out?” Hilda asked Zelda who was still seated. 

“Yes, of course,” Zelda replied standing quickly. 

Lilith waved at Dr. Cee, before placing her hand at the small of Zelda's back ushering her to the door. Zelda reminded herself not to flinch at the touch.

Once they were outside she breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you think we were believable?”

“You need some work, but overall I think they bought it.”

Zelda walked Lilith over to her car. “Well, thanks again, I really do appreciate you doing this.”

“Not a problem,” Lilith replied making no move to get into her car. Instead, she leaned against the passenger door, her mouth curved into a smile.

They stood in the moonlight, looking at one another. Zelda awkwardly put her hands in her pockets, craving a cigarette. They silence lingered and Zelda contemplated turning on her heel and heading back inside, but it looked as if Lilith wanted to say something. Without her permission, Zelda's eyes flickered towards Lilith’s lips for a split second. Lilith must have noticed, as she smirked. Lilith pushed herself off the car and took a step forward. 

Zelda found herself unable to move.

“Goodnight. Spellman” Lilith said, softly squeezing Zelda’s arm before getting in her car and driving away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the lovely comments you guys leave. It really brightens my day ❤❤


	4. IV

After Lilith took her leave, Zelda was left feeling out of sorts. She stood frozen, watching as Lilith’s car disappeared around the corner. She couldn’t quite place it. She didn’t appreciate the way her body reacted to Lilith’s touches. The hand holding, the gentle hand on her knee under the table, the way her fingers brushed the small of her back. For a moment she thought Lilith was going to kiss her. It was all too much. 

Slowly Zelda walked back up the porch steps. The emotional exhaustion of the day was catching up to her and the headache from earlier was making itself know in full force. She popped her head into the parlor biding Hilda and Dr. Cee a goodnight before she made her way upstairs. All she wanted to do was fall into bed and get a goodnight’s sleep, something that had been eluding her for the last couple of nights. As she was folding her clothes from the day she could swear that she smelled Lilith’s perfume on her blouse. Soft floral notes with a touch of sandalwood and something else Zelda couldn’t put her finger on. _I’m losing my mind_ , she thought as she tossed the clothing in the hamper and tied a robe around her body. What she needed was a nice relaxing shower. She grabbed her nightgown and made her way to the bathroom down the hall. 

The shower calmed her down immensely. The warmth of the water and the comforting smell of her body wash relaxed her tense muscles and cleared her mind. Of course, it was natural for her body to respond to Lilith’s gentle touches, she decided as she was drying herself. She had been divorced for a while now and Faustus was never exactly gentle or kind when he had touched her. It was nothing to get worked up over. She just needed to keep her head in the game. One more week off playing pretend and then she would tell Hilda that she and Lilith broke up.

The weekend was over in a flash, much to Zelda’s despair. For the first time in ages, she allowed herself to sleep later than usual and lounge around the house catching up on some reading. She managed to dodge most of Hilda’s questions since she and Dr. Cee were double and triple-checking that everything for their wedding that upcoming weekend was in order. 

When Monday morning rolled around Zelda made the familiar trek to work. She was determined to treat Lilith the same as always and ignore any teasing that she was sure would come her way.

When she arrived in her basement office she noticed something strange on her desk. She put her bag down and walked over to her desk to inspect the items. It was a takeaway cup of coffee and a cinnamon donut in a paper bag. She recognized the branding from the coffee shop down the road. Next to the coffee was a napkin with a message scrawled on in black ink.

_“Morning Spellman._

__

__

_Just letting you know that I’ll be out of the office again today. If you need any pretend girlfriending don’t hesitate to call.”_

Below that, was what Zelda assumed to be Lilith’s number. 

Zelda couldn’t help but smile as she picked up the coffee and took a sip. It was still hot, which meant she probably just missed Lilith. She saved the number on her phone, purely for emergencies of course. 

The rest of Zelda’s day was uneventful. She didn’t have any paperwork to complete and was still waiting on authorization to release the Kemper boy’s body. She resorted to studying for her gun license. Coroners were allowed to carry a gun in their state, and Zelda thought that if she had a gun the police officers would be more accepting of her presence. It was all quite simple. She had the necessary background checks done and attended a certified handgun safety class a few weeks back. She was due for a theoretical test later in the week which seemed easy enough. It was the practical exam that had her nervous. She had never fired a gun in her life, and the idea of proving her proficiency was daunting.

When her stomach started growling, Zelda decided it was time to put the books down. She glanced at her phone and noticed it was well passed her normal break time. She answered a few emails and replied to a text from Hilda. She contemplated sending a message to Lilith but decided against it. She was probably busy in any case. Instead, she grabbed her lunch and made her way to the upstairs canteen. 

Zelda usually ate alone in her office, but today she felt like she needed some fresh air. She was relieved to see the canteen devoid of officers. She ate her lunch in peace, lost in thought. She was just about to go for a post-meal smoke when a sound from the front entrance startled her.

Lilith barged through the front door, along with an officer and a strange man. Zelda realized the man was restrained and Lilith was roughly grabbing his cuffed hands and the back of his shirt, escorting him through the building. Blood was streaming out of Lilith’s nose and down her mouth and chin.

“Put him in interrogation two,” Lilith growled at the officer who trailed behind her. The officer led the man down the hall leaving Lilith to wipe at the blood that was still leaking from her nose in a heavy stream.

“Lilith!” Zelda exclaimed running over to the woman. “What the Hell happened to you?”

“Possible suspect,” she said gesturing towards the hallway “The fool managed to head-butt me as he got out of the car just now.”

“Come with me, there’s a medical bag in my office.”

Lilith followed her wordlessly into the elevator, pinching the bridge of her nose. She sat down in Zelda’s chair, throwing her head backward.

“You know you shouldn’t do that,” Zelda commented as she grabbed the first aid kit from the cupboard “You’re supposed to throw you head forward.” 

Lilith complied leaning forwards in her chair. Zelda handed her some tissues to soak up most of the blood and instructed her to keep pinching her nose.

After a minute or so most of the bleeding had stopped and Lilith sat back in her chair and groaned. “That really hurts. I swear to God if that swine broke my nose…”

“May I?” Zelda asked stepping closer her hands hovering close to Lilith’s face. 

Lilith nodded and angled her face upwards. Gingerly, Zelda touched Lilith’s nose. She heard a sharp intake of breath but no other complaints from Lilith.

“How does that feel?” 

“Tender, but not unbearable.” 

“It’s most likely bruised. Just keep an eye on it. If it swells up any more, or you have trouble breathing you should probably go see a doctor.”

Lilith nodded and dabbed at her nose again.

“You’ve got some…” There was dried blood across Lilith’s cheek and on her chin. “Hang on.”

Zelda took a couple of tissues and ran them under the tap briefly before returning to Lilith’s side. She gently wiped the dried blood from her cheeks and chin. 

“There we go.” She said meeting Lilith’s eyes that were trained on hers. 

“Thank you,” Lilith said softly. 

A silence settled over them, Zelda's hand still hovering close to Lilith's face. She cleared her throat and took a step back as Lilith reached to take the soiled tissues from Zelda’s hand and disposed of them in the bin under her table.

Zelda turned around quickly to hide the soft blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Any other injuries? she asked. She heard Lilith mutter a "no". She was putting the first aid kit back in the cupboard when Lilith’s loud voice startled her.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake!”

Zelda spun around, worried.

“The bastard ruined my favorite blouse.” She explained pointing at the blood that stained the silky beige material. “He’s going to pay for that.” She said darkly walking towards the elevator. “You coming?”

* * *

Watching Lilith interrogate the man was interesting. Zelda silently stood on the other side of the one way glass listening to Lilith’s voice over the speakers. 

“So you say you’ve never seen this man before?” She asked for a second time pushing a photo of the Connor boy towards his cuffed hands. 

“No.” Responded the man. "I don't know him" He was still young. Late twenties if Zelda had to guess. He looked like your average Joe, dressed in jeans and a button-up shirt.

“I think you do. You see he had drugs in his system before he died. I’m sure if we tested the drugs we found in your house it would be an exact match. So I’ll ask again, have you seen this man before?” Her voice was low and commanding. 

“Fine, he might have come around the house once or twice. He bought dope from me, but that’s it. I didn’t kill him!”

“You sure about that? Perhaps you had a disagreement about the drugs. It turned heated, physical and you stab him.”

“You can’t prove that.”

“Not yet. How about you just come clean? Perhaps I can strike you a deal.”

“I told you already. I did not kill him.”

“Very well,” Lilith said taking a plastic evidence bag out from her jacket pocket. “Let’s talk about your drugs then. Where do you get this?” She demanded, waving the bag of drugs in front of his face. 

“I’m not saying a word.”

Lilith slapped the metal table startling the man and Zelda in the process. “We’ve got you for possession. You’re going down. The best thing you can do for yourself now is to give us information. If I can prove you assisted in this investigation we can talk about shortening your time.”

Zelda wondered if all Lilith’s interrogations were this heated, or if her injury and ruined blouse were adding to her annoyance. 

“I don’t know his name,” the man said, finally caving. “He goes by ‘The Sugarman’. I’ve never seen him. We only speak over the phone and he tells me where to collect the drugs. It’s usually in Riverdale. I’m not saying anything further until I have a lawyer.”

Lilith sighed and collected her evidence before leaving the room.

“So, do you think he did it?" Zelda asked curiously when they were back in her basement office. 

“No, he’s not the killer. He’s just a low life, part of some bigger drug syndicate.” Lilith sighed. “Back to square one. I ruined my blouse for nothing.”

Zelda watched Lilith wipe at the already dry blood on her blouse. "You know my sister is very good at getting stains out of clothes. You can give it to me if you like and I’ll let her work her magic.”

“Well, Spellman, if you wanted to get my top off you could’ve just asked,” Lilith said huskily her eyes twinkling again. She shimmied out of her jacket, her eyes never leaving Zelda's.

“That’s not what I -“ The rest of Zelda’s sentence was lost as Lilith stood up from her chair and started to pull the blouse off. 

Zelda’s breath hitched and her eyes went wide as a tan stripe of Lilith’s flat stomach was revealed. Higher, the blouse went, over her belly button, and eventually over her head. 

“There you go,” Lilith said amusement clear in her voice as she threw the clothing item at Zelda. Zelda caught it awkwardly and held it in her hands as she looked at Lilith. She was clad in a tight white tank top. It was extremely low cut, accentuating her breasts. “You know it’s rude to stare.” She said pulling down the tank top where it had ridden up over her stomach.

Zelda cleared her throat, feeling extremely hot. She was certain she was scarlett by now. “I...I’ll be sure to get this to my sister ASAP.” she croaked out.

Lilith just smirked and put her jacket on again. “I’ve got a report to file. See you around Spellman.”

Zelda remained frozen in shock clutching Lilith’s blouse. She was in deep trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the lovely comments you guys leave. I read and treasure every single one (and I'm gonna try and reply to them soon!) ❤❤❤


	5. V

Zelda was sitting in a hard plastic chair, her arms resting on the cold metal table in front of her. She looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. She noticed her reflection in the large rectangular mirror on the wall opposite her. Then it clicked: She was in one of the interrogation rooms at work. Right on cue, the door opened revealing none other than Lilith. She closed the door behind her and strode over to the table, perching herself on the edge. She was wearing that damned white tank top again, together with an extremely tight pair of black jeans that accentuated her toned legs. 

“So, Spellman are you ready to confess?”

Zelda was at a loss for words, still trying to figure out why she was here and what was going on. “Confess to?” She asked nervously.

“Oh, don’t play coy. I’ve seen the way you look at me” Lilith said grinning wickedly. 

“I...I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I one fluent motion Lilith slid off the desk and leaned on the table, her palms flat against the cool metal. She arched her body foreword, coming into Zelda’s personal space. 

This was much too close for Zelda’s liking. Nowhere was safe to look. Those blue eyes seemed as if they could read her mind and those red lips looked so kissable. Zelda blushed and looked down. That was a mistake, for there was Lilith’s cleavage on full display beneath the low neckline of her tank top.

Zelda averted her eyes quickly, but it was too late: She had been caught. A knowing smirk made its way onto Lilith’s face and Zelda could feel her blush deepening. 

Lilith leaned even closer, half her body over the table now. “Do you like what you see, Spellman?” she whispered. 

Zelda could feel her breath on her lips as she spoke. She sat frozen in anticipation and fear. Her mouth went dry as she glanced down at Lilith’s mouth once again. Her lips were slightly parted, an invitation. Before Zelda could even register what she was doing, she felt herself close the small distance between them. She leaned in and captured Lilith’s lips with her own. Lilith’s lips were warm and soft, and the feeling of them moving together with her own sent a wave of warmth all through Zelda’s body. A soft moan escaped Zelda’s lips as the kiss deepened. Her hand snaked into Lilith’s locks, pulling her even closer. 

And then without warning, Lilith and the room disappeared.

Zelda’s eyes shot open as she realized where she was. She was in her bed at home. The bedroom was shrouded in semi-darkness, the first traces of morning making it way in through the curtains. Her duvet was a bundled mess by her ankles and her nightgown was hiked up around her waist. She glanced over to where Hilda’s bed used to stand and was flooded with relief that she no longer shared a room with her sister. She pulled her nightgown down her waist again and became aware of the wetness between her thighs.

Zelda sighed and shut her eyes. _What the actual fuck?_ This was not good. Having heated dreams was something reserved for teenagers, not middle-aged women. She sat upright, throwing the covers of her legs. She was suddenly feeling too hot. She covered her face with her hands and tried to steady her breathing. She had to face the facts. She was attracted to Lilith. Damn that woman with her luscious locks and impossibly blue eyes. There was no point in denying it anymore since her subconscious mind (and body) seemed to have different ideas. 

_Get a grip,_ she thought to herself as she got out of the bed and grabbed some clothes for the day. She needed a shower. Her body was sticky with sweat, and every step reminded her of the wetness between her legs. She padded down the hall towards the bathroom. The house was quiet, Hilda seemingly still asleep. Once she locked the bathroom door she stripped quickly and stepped into the shower. She turned the water on, forgoing the hot tap. She needed a cold shower to calm herself down. She felt _dirty _. She focused on scrubbing every inch of her body and slowly added hot water when she started to shiver.__

____

How on earth was she going to face Lilith today? If she was flustered before, how was she going to keep her cool with the images of her dream swirling around in her mind? No, she had to avoid Lilith as much as possible until the whole charade was over. Then things could go back to the way they were. It was just a silly crush after all. 

__

She contemplated just skipping the rest of the work week completely. She’d already put a half day’s leave for Thursday and the whole of Friday to help Hilda with last-minute wedding preparations and to pick up Sabrina at college in Riverdale. Two extra days wouldn’t hurt, and none of the officers would even notice she was missing. She decided against it though, knowing that Hilda would see right through her and want an explanation. Zelda was never one to play hooky, and making up an excuse to satisfy Hilda would complicate matters even more. Besides, sitting at home would let her mind wander, she needed to keep busy. 

__

When it was time to leave Zelda got in her car, but instead of driving the familiar road to work she decided to swing by the gun range. She was hoping to reschedule her theoretical test for today. That way she could kill some time before having to face Lilith. The gun range was small, like everything in Greendale. There were no other cars in the parking lot, and the building looked deserted. When she entered the reception she was met by an elderly gentleman who assured her she could take the test right there and then, much to her relief. He handed her a paper and pen and showed her to a desk. 

__

Much to Zelda’s frustration, it was multiple choice and extremely straight forward. She was done in less than 15 minutes. The man offered to check her answers immediately. It was not like he had hundreds of applicants for gun licenses in a small town such as Greendale. 

__

After he confirmed that she had passed they proceeded to schedule the competency test for the week after next. It wasn’t a lot of time for her to prepare, but he assured her that he knew a great instructor from Riverdale that could show her the ropes. She thanked the man and took the business card of said instructor before leaving. 

__

Once she was in the safety of her car again, she glanced at her watch. She had barely killed an hour. The fact that she had just scheduled a test for which she was wholly unprepared for made her feel even more anxious than before. 

__

* * *

__

When she got to work Zelda immediately rushed to the elevator. She figured that if she hid in the basement for most of the day she wouldn’t have to face Lilith. That was, of course, granted that Lilith didn’t come looking for her. The only problem with her plan was the fact that once again she had no work to do. She resorted to playing Solitaire on her computer. That got boring quickly and so did Minesweeper. She almost started hoping that someone would die, just so she could have something to do. She stopped that thought right in its track. That was a dreadful thing to think. She needed to get out of the basement for some fresh air before she lost her mind. Even if it was just for a few minutes. 

__

Reaching her desired destination for fresh air was daunting. Getting to the back door meant she had the walk across the office and past the cafeteria area. She really didn’t want to run into Lilith. She chanced a peep around the corner, trying not to look suspicious and draw attention to herself. She could see Lilith at the far end of the office. She was sitting at her desk, absorbed in paperwork. 

__

Zelda took a deep breath and walked over to the exit. Breathing in the fresh air in the alleyway was a small victory. She lit a cigarette and brought it to her lips, inhaling deeply. It was around midday, and the sun was shining down on her, warming her body. She sat down on the steps and took off her jacket soaking up the sun. She proceeded to smoke another cigarette, forcing herself to slow down and savor the moment. 

__

When her arms started turning pink from the sun, Zelda decided to head back in. She stepped into the building and, made a beeline for the basement, not even bothering to see if the coast was clear. Once she was seated at her desk again she had the strange urge to laugh. Here she was, a grown woman, skulking around her workplace to avoid a colleague she was in a fake relationship with, while simultaneously having a tiny crush on said colleague. It was ridiculous. 

__

Her moment of amusement didn’t last long as boredom started to creep up on her again. Reluctantly she took the business card from earlier out of her pocket. She typed the man’s name into Google to check him out when she heard the familiar ding of the elevator, signaling that someone had arrived in the basement. She heard the click of heels coming closer until they stopped completely. She continued to focus on the screen in front of her, pretending to be oblivious. 

__

Lilith cleared her throat, forcing Zelda to acknowledge her presence. She looked up to find Lilith lounging against the wall. 

__

“Is there any particular reason that you’ve been avoiding me today?” Lilith asked as she pushed herself off the wall and made her way over to Zelda’s desk. 

__

“Have I?" Zelda asked feigning ignorance. 

__

“I saw you scurrying outside for a smoke. I also noticed you not so covertly looking in my direction before you practically made a run.” 

__

“I…I wasn’t avoiding you.” Zelda lied half-heartedly. She knew she’d been caught out. 

__

“You forget that I’m a detective. I can tell when you are lying.” 

__

Zelda’s mind went into overdrive, scrambling for some kind of excuse. “Ok, you got me. I _was_ avoiding you. I forgot your blouse at home.” That was partly true. In fact, she had completely forgotten about the blouse and didn’t even give it to Hilda the previous evening. 

__

“No worries,” Lilith replied perching herself on the edge of Zelda's desk. She didn’t seem entirely convinced but didn't push it any further. “So what are you up too?” she asked motioning at the business card that was still in Zelda’s hand. 

__

“Oh, I’m researching this instructor. He’s supposed to be really good.” She said looking at the screen again. The way Lilith was sitting on her desk was strikingly similar to her dream. 

__

Lilith leaned closer and snatched the card from Zelda’s hand. “This guy? No way, he’s a total prick.” 

__

“Well, I need someone to help me!” Zelda said defensively snatching the card back from Lilith. “My competency test is in two weeks and I don’t have a clue how to shoot a gun.” 

__

“I could show you.” 

__

“What?” 

__

“I said I can show you. It’s not that hard.” 

__

“I don’t think so.” Zelda shook her head. The plan was to avoid Lilith, not spend increased time with her. 

__

“Come on, you know you want to. I can see you’re dying from boredom in this place. And so am I, since we’re at a dead-end in the murder case.” 

__

Zelda bit her lip. It was tempting. To make matters worse Lilith was giving her a very convincing puppy dog face. 

__

"Fine,” Zelda sighed in defeat. “But promise not to laugh at me.” 

__

“Never,” Lilith’s eyes lit up “Come on, let’s go.” 

__

“Right now?” 

__

“Yes right now,” Lilith replied extending a hand to Zelda. 

__

_This is a bad idea,_ she thought as she accepted Lilith's hand. _A very bad idea._

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this one! It was kind of a boring chapter in my opinion haha. But it serves to a gateway to the next chapter where you can expect a soft gun lesson which I'm very excited to write! Thanks for reading as always ❤❤


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm *really* worried that I'm making Zelda too soft and making her act out of character. So sorry in advance!

Lilith offered to drive them to the gun range. Since it was just around the corner it seemed pointless to go in two separate cars. Zelda sat a bit awkwardly on the passenger side, watching as Lilith expertly reversed out of the parking lot. It was a nice car, a bit more dated than Zelda’s, but very well kept. The interior was spotless, faux black leather lined the seats as well as the steering wheel and gear lever. It smelled as if it had been to a valet recently and a tiny blue figurine was hanging from her rearview mirror.

“What’s that?” Zelda asked pointing at the object.

“That’s a Tardis,” Lilith answered, “have you never seen Doctor Who?”

Zelda shook her head. It sounded familiar. 

“It’s about this man, a time lord. He travels through space and time using a time machine disguised as police telephone box.”

“It sounds like something my sister would watch.”

“Indeed. Your sister seems like a lovely person by the way. I didn’t expect that.”

“Why not?” Zelda inquired.

“No specific reason,” Lilith said quickly, keeping her eyes on the road. 

Lilith rolled her window down, her hair fluttering in all directions. When they stopped at a traffic light, Lilith switched the radio on.

“You don’t mind some music do you?”

“Not at all,” Zelda replied absentmindedly, still wondering why Lilith would think Hilda wasn’t a nice person. 

The rest of the drive was spent in comfortable silence, with Lilith softly humming along to the tune on the radio while tapping along to the beat on the steering wheel. Before long they arrived at their destination.

“Back again so soon Miss Spellman?” the same man from earlier asked. “Oh, and you brought a friend. How lovely to see you again detective Morningstar!” The man extended a hand towards Lilith.

“Nice to see you too Cassius,” Lilith replied shaking his hand. “I’d like to take my colleague here through the basic handgun techniques if that’s okay?”

“Of course. You know the drill. Just sign the forms and you can be on your way.”

A couple of minutes later, after they signed their indemnity forms Zelda was standing in the indoor shooting range, waiting for Lilith to come back with a rental handgun that Zelda could use. The targets at the far end of the range looked daunting, but at least there were no other people to watch her embarrass herself.

“Here you are. The trusty Glock 22.” Lilith announced proudly. 

Zelda eyed the weapon suspiciously. 

“Are you having second thoughts?” Lilith asked concerned, her smile fading. 

“No, no I’m just nervous.”

Lilith handed Zelda a pair of safety glasses as well as earmuffs, before leading her to the practice area and handing her the gun. 

“Okay Spellman, show me what you’re made off.”

Hesitantly Zelda lifted the gun feeling the weight of it in her hands. She squared her shoulders and pointed at the target a couple of feet away.

“Wait,” Lilith spoke from behind her. 

She lowered the gun and pulled the ear muff off one of her ears so that she could hear Lilith better. “What’s wrong?”

“Your stance is all wrong. You’re too tense.”

Lilith moved up behind her and placed her hands on Zelda’s shoulders and then her arms, moving them slightly. “You need to relax.” She whispered against the shell of Zelda’s exposed ear. “Spread your legs a little more.”

Zelda did as she was told and took a deep breath trying to relax. It was hard to do with the feeling of Lilith’s hands on her arms.

“Good. Now bend your knees slightly and keep your arms straight.” Lilith’s removed her hands and took a couple of steps back standing to Zelda’s side and motioning for her to continue. “Just shoot five rounds for now.”

Zelda pointed at the target again, focussing on getting the aim right and pulled the trigger. 

Once she shot the five rounds she lowered the gun and looked over at Lilith. Lilith wordlessly took the gun from Zelda’s hands and pressed a button on the wall next to her causing the target to come towards them.

“That’s what I thought,” Lilith said softly inspecting the big sheet of paper as it came to a stop in front of them. None of the holes were even close to any of the circles. “Hey, it’s not bad for a first attempt,” Lilith said squeezing Zelda’s arm with her free hand, sensing her disappointment. “I was watching you, and I know where you went wrong. You flinched. It’s normal, but try not too and also don’t close your eyes.”

“Oh,” Zelda hadn’t even realized she had done that.

Lilith proceeded to circle all the holes with a red marker before sending the target back down the range. “Ok, this time try gripping the gun a little firmer.”

Zelda shot five rounds again really focussing on not filching. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears as the adrenaline pumped through her body.

“Ok, better than before,” Lilith said with an approving nod as she inspected the target again. At least this time she hit the circles. “Do you want to try again? I don’t want to overwhelm you on your first go.”

“Yes once more. But do you think you can demonstrate for me?” 

“Sure,” Lilith ripped the target sheet off, quickly replacing it with a fresh one. They swapped places, Zelda watching as Lilith unholstered her gun and took her stance. “See how tight I’m gripping the gun? Don’t be afraid to really apply pressure. Now after I’ve lined up my sight I’m going to take a deep breath and hold it as I squeeze the trigger. You want to be careful not to move then gun as you’re pressing down."

Zelda nodded and watched as Lilith concentrated for a second before squeezing the trigger rapidly. Her arms barely moved from the force off the gun. Zelda pushed the button on the wall and moved closer. All five shots were dead center.

“Bullseye,” Lilith announced smirking. 

“Show off.”

“That comes with practice. Eventually, your trigger finger and arms will get stronger. You’ll get there” Lilith said holstering her gun again and replacing the sheet of paper. “Ok third time’s a charm. Remember what I said about the breathing.”

Zelda took her stance again and tried to apply everything Lilith said. She bent her knees and gripped the gun as tightly as she could. She closed her one eye, aligning the sight just right before taking a deep breath and pulling down slowly, trying not to move the gun.

“I can already tell that was much better,” Lilith said taking the gun from Zelda and removing the now empty cartridge. As the sheet swung closer again, Zelda let out a breath of relief. The bullet holes were much more concentrated, and one of them were almost dead center.

“Look! Zelda exclaimed pointing at the sheet “That’s basically a bullseye!” Without thinking, Zelda pulled Lilith in for a hug. 

Lilith was stunned for a second, frozen under Zelda’s touch but quickly regained her composure and gently hugged Zelda back. Zelda let go and quickly backed away, realizing what she had done. 

“Sorry.” She said clearing her throat awkwardly “I got a bit over-excited.” She could feel herself blushing and refused to meet Lilith’s gaze.

“No worries, Spellman. It’s quite a feat for a first-time shooter.” Her voice remained impassive. 

Zelda kept starring at the ground, feeling like an utter fool for letting her emotions control her like that. It was just a lucky shot.

“Here you go,” Lilith said, handing her the rolled-up sheet of paper. “I imagine you’d like to frame that now.” Her familiar smirk was back. 

Zelda couldn’t help but feel awkward as she accepted the paper and muttered a thank you.

“How about a coffee and a late lunch to celebrate?” Lilith suggested as they headed back to the car.

Zelda thought about declining, her earlier resolution of keeping her distance from Lilith coming back to her. It seemed rude to decline since Lilith was such a patient teacher and saved her a couple of bucks in the process.

“How about just a coffee? I’m a very busy woman you know.” Zelda joked.

* * *

A couple of minutes later they found themselves in Doctor Cee’s bookshop. When Zelda realized where Lilith was taking them, she was horrified. She really did not want to run into her sister. Lilith was adamant though, proclaiming that Doctor Cee had the best strawberry milkshakes in town. Zelda wasn't sure what shift her sister was working, so she was simultaneously trying to peruse the menu while keeping an eye out for Hilda.

“I’m so hungry I can eat a full-grown man!” Lilith said placing her menu down and signaling a waiter. She proceeded to order some monstrous sized burger and her sought after milkshake, while Zelda opted for a cappuccino and a slice of apple pie. 

“So,” Zelda said, nervously twiddling with her fingers once their order was placed.

“So?” 

“Tell me more about this mysterious detective Lilith Morningstar.”

“There really isn’t much to know” Lilith replied. 

“That’s a bit unfair. I’ve told you about myself.”

Lilith seemed to consider Zelda’s words for a moment. “So as you know I used to live in New York.” Lilith paused.

Zelda nodded and gave Lilith a kind smile hoping to make her feel more comfortable.

Lilith shifted in her seat. “I don’t like talking about myself.”

Zelda tried not to let her disappointment show. She wanted to respect Lilith’s boundaries but she was also extremely curious about her life.

“That’s ok. How about I go first? As you know I’m the middle child. I’ve lived in Greendale all my life and my sister and I used to run the local mortuary up until recently.” She knew this was old information to Lilith, but she was hoping that if she shared more about herself, Lilith would feel inclined to do the same. “Now you go.”

“Okay. I was born here in Greendale as well, but I moved to New York as soon as I finished school to pursue my career.”

 _We’re getting somewhere,_ Zelda thought. “Any siblings?”

“Nope,” Lilith shook her head.

“And your parents?”

“They’re both deceased. That’s the reason I came back to Greendale. I was just supposed to arrange my mother's funeral and settle their affairs but I ended up staying.”

“I’m sorry,” Zelda said softly suddenly regretting asking any questions at all.

“It was years ago,” Lilith said shrugging her shoulders. "I was still young and had just become a detective when my father and then a couple of months later my mother died."

Zelda just nodded, unsure of how to continue the conversation. She thought back to her own parent’s death years ago and to Edward’s. “My brother will be dead 18 years this November.”

“I’m sorry. It’s so good of you and Hilda to have taken your niece in.”

“I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. She looked so much like her father.” Zelda said, her voice growing thick.

Lilith reached over the table to take Zelda’s hand in her own, gently brushing over her knuckles with her thumb.

“I’m sorry,” Zelda said trying to regain her composure and wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “I don’t talk about him a lot.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Zelda.”

Just then the waiter appeared with their drinks. Zelda immediately pulled her hand away and took a sip of her coffee, glad to have something else to focus on. She watched as Lilith struggled to guide the straw of her milkshake into her mouth before taking a big gulp.

“Wow slow down there,” Zelda said raising her eyebrows.

“It’s so good,” Lilith replied after swallowing another big mouthful. “Here taste.”

Zelda was just about to explain that she didn't really like milkshakes when Lilith pushed the glass over towards her. She took a much smaller sip than Lilith before handing it back.

“Okay, that’s actually really good,” Zelda admitted with a small smile.

“I told you so.”

The rest of their lunch date went well. They stuck to lighter topics and Zelda was happy to discover that they both shared a love for football. The conversation drifted towards work and Lilith admitted that at first, she didn't think Zelda deserved the job or was qualified for it. Zelda guessed as much but was still relieved to hear that Lilith's attitude wasn't because of some other personal grudge. 

The food was good too. By the time Zelda had worked her way through her small slice of pie, Lilith had scoffed down her entire burger and most of the fries. When Zelda got her purse out to pay her share, Lilith flatly declined. “It’s on me.” 

They were just about to exit their booth when Hilda appeared out of nowhere.

“Zelds! How nice to see you here! And you too Lilith.” Hilda said a bit out of breath.

“Afternoon Hilda,” Zelda said. “We were actually just leaving.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I was just running some wedding errands. Just four more sleeps, can you believe it!”

“Yes, we are quite aware sister. Now we best be off. Lots of work to do.”

“Of course! Greendale’s top the detective and coroner. Just like Sherlock and Watson.”

Zelda just shook her head and made for the door.

“Oh, Lilith! Would you mind giving me your number? Just so I can clue you up on all the wedding details.”

“Surely I can pass any relevant information on to her.” Zelda said. She really didn't want Hilda and Lilith to have any more contact than necessary. 

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Lilith said handing Hilda her card.

“Okay, bye then! I’ll be in touch, Lilith.” Hilda said before making her way to the back of the shop.

“Can I ask why you’re so…so different towards your sister?" Lilith asked once they were back in the police parking lot.

“It’s illegal for someone to be so chipper all of the time. You ought to lock her up.”

They looked at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing. Zelda couldnt help but notice that Lilith had an adorable giggle.

“Well look at the time. I better get going.” Zelda announced with a sigh once they both caught their breath. “Thank you for today. You’re a really good teacher.”

Lilith bowed her head. “Only a pleasure.”

“And thanks for lunch,” Zelda said as she got out of the car. “It was nice.” _too nice_ , the voice in the back of her mind said.

“See you around Spellman,” Lilith said before driving away again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And?? (Also disclaimer, I know nothing about guns and shooting ranges, so apologies if anything is off)


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda comes to terms with her feelings for Lilith.

When Zelda descended the stairs on Wednesday morning she was met with the familiar sound of Sabrina’s voice. Zelda froze mid-step. _Had Sabrina come home from college earlier than planned?_ She bounded down the rest of the stairs but when she reached the kitchen she was disappointed to see it was only Hilda standing with her cell phone in her hand.

“Ok, Aunt Hilda I need to get going.” She heard Sabrina’s voice again. “Send my love to Auntie Zee!”

“Will do love,” Hilda said, blowing a kiss at the phone.

Hilda noticed her sister standing in the doorway as she slid her phone into the pocket of her apron. 

“Morning Zelds,” She said cheerily as she made her way to the stove. “I just had Sabrina on the phone. She’s so excited to come home for the weekend.”

"I’m looking forward to seeing her too.” Zelda took her seat at the table and picked up the morning paper. Even though Sabrina could be a handful at times, she really did miss her. The house was too quiet without her. “What time am I supposed to pick her up tomorrow?”

“There’s been a small change of plans. The gentleman friend she’s bringing along can’t get away tomorrow. Something about a project or an exam. So she asked if you could get them Friday morning instead.”

Zelda sighed. She had forgotten about Sabrina’s new beau that she met at college. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

“Good I’ll let her know. As for tomorrow, I have a couple of errands for you to run after you leave work.”

Zelda nodded and lit a cigarette. As she struck the lighter she noticed her right hand felt a little bruised. She opened and closed her hand a few times and rubbed the palm of her hand.

“What’s wrong?” Hilda asked concerned, as she put Zela’s morning cup of coffee down in front of her. 

“My hand is just a bit tender. Lilith took me to the shooting range yesterday.” Images of the day before flashed through her mind. Luckily she didn’t have any heated dreams last night. She made sure of that by having a couple of glasses of whiskey to lull her into a dreamless sleep. 

“Oh, that’s nice of her hey? You’ve found yourself a good one Zelds, you’re perfect for each other.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Zelda scoffed hiding behind her newspaper again. “You barely know her.”

“But I know you, and I know when you’re happy.”

Zelda decided not to comment on that. Was she happy? She felt more confused than anything else.

“Oh, and I was thinking maybe Lilith could come over earlier on Saturday and get ready for the wedding here if she wants.”

“That won’t be necessary Hilda, besides the house will be too busy as it is.”

For Zelda to spend increased time with Lilith was one thing, but she wanted to limit her time with the rest of the Spellmans, especially Sabrina. That girl was far too inquisitive for her own good. When Zelda peered over her paper again she could see the suspicious glint in Hilda’s eyes. She was certainly planning something, but Zelda decided she would deal with it later. Right now she had to get to work.

* * *

When Zelda pulled into the parking lot she noticed Lilith getting out of her car. Zelda hooted at her as she passed and Lilith waved back at her. For some odd reason, Zelda’s stomach flipped when she saw Lilith waiting for her at the entrance.

“Good morning,” Lilith said holding the door open for Zelda.

“Morning,” Zelda responded, “you’re in later than usual.”

Lilith shrugged her shoulders. “Not much to do here. Although I might go to question Mr. and Mrs. Kemper again. Some things aren’t adding up. You can come with me if you want?”

Zelda considered it as they walked down the hall. It was tempting. “It depends on the time. Marie is coming here today to confirm that we can release Connor’s body.”

They had reached the elevator now, but instead of getting in Lilith lounged against the wall and raised her eyebrows. “Marie?”

“Oh. She’s technically my boss. “

“We’ll see how the day goes then.” Lilith pushed herself off the wall and tapped the elevator button before heading for her desk. Zelda couldn’t help but stare at Lilith as she sauntered away.

Zelda occupied herself by making sure that everything was in order for Marie’s arrival. She made sure the basement was spotless and she had her report and all the relevant documentation neatly stacked on her desk. Even though they were old friends, she was still her superior and Zelda wanted to make a good impression. When she deemed herself fully prepared she made her way upstairs for a cup of coffee. As she was getting her cup ready Lilith suddenly appeared at her side, giving her a fright.

“Any updates on what time your boss is coming?” Lilith inquired as she lounged against the counter.

Zelda shook her head. “She can’t give me an exact time. She’s held up at work.”

“Ah, that’s too bad.” Lilith followed Zelda to a table sitting opposite her. “The Kemper’s have agreed to see me in an hour. Hopefully, she’ll have been here before I leave.”

Zelda hoped so too. She wanted to go with Lilith. She convinced herself she was purely interested in solving the case. They sat together for a while since they had nothing better to do. Zelda sipped her coffee slowly and Lilith grabbed an apple from the nearby fruit basket, chomping on it happily.

“Aren’t you ever bored working here?” Zelda asked after a while. “I’m sure you could have had a much more exciting career in New York.”

Lilith seemed to consider this for a moment. “I’m sure I could have. I don’t know why I stayed. I have no family or friends left in this town, but still, I felt drawn to it.”

Zelda nodded. “I too tried to spread my wings after college. I traveled across Europe for a few years. My parents weren’t very happy about that so eventually, I came home.”

“Do you ever wish you lived your life differently.” 

Zelda was taken aback by such a direct question. “Yes and no. I love my life and my family, but spending my days alone working in a basement isn’t what I envisioned for myself. And soon I’ll be alone at home too after Hilda moves out.” Zelda sighed. She didn’t know why she was revealing so much about herself. “Being single at this age is daunting. I try to convince myself I like being alone, but deep down I know that’s not true.” 

Lilith studied her. “But you were married?”

“Yes, but not for the right reasons. It was all just one big mistake.”

“What are the right reasons?”

“Love, of course. That deep emotional connection. That feeling of utter bliss when you see that person and spend time with them. I never loved my ex, I’m not even sure I cared for him. There was mutual respect, or so I thought, but nothing more.”

Lilith nodded but didn’t press further sensing Zelda’s discomfort.

“Well, at least you’re not single right now. You’ve got a girlfriend for the next four days.”

Zelda forced a smile. For some reason, the thought of their agreement only lasting for a couple of days sent a strange pang to Zelda’s heart, where before it was a relief. 

“Well, I better get going,” Lilith said as she stood up and tossed the remainder of her apple into a nearby bin. “I’ll come and update you as soon as I’m back.”

When Zelda returned to her office she noticed she had a missed call from Marie and a message saying that she would be there in the next half hour. Zelda patiently waited at her desk. As much as tried to think of something else, her thoughts kept going back to Lilith. What would their relationship be like after Saturday? Would it be awkward? Or would they just go back to disliking each other? 

The elevator dinged and Zelda jumped up, happy for the distraction. 

“Zelda!” Marie said in her heavy accent as she glided into the room pulling Zelda in for a hug. “It’s good to see you.”

“Indeed. It’s been too long since we caught up.”

“How have you been?”

“Good. My sister is getting married this weekend so we’ve been very busy.”

“Ah, that is _merveilleuse_! Do give her my congratulations.”

Marie made quick work of inspecting Connor’s body and going through the necessary paperwork. She deemed it appropriate for his body to be released since they couldn’t gather any more evidence from it. Zelda was relieved. She was sure it would be of great comfort to the Kemper’s to be able to start planning his funeral.

“It’s so sad when a young life is taken,” Marie said as she was signing the necessary forms. “It makes one want to live life to the fullest and really follow your heart.”

Zelda nodded but didn’t comment. 

Marie put the forms back down on the desk and walked closer to Zelda. “Now that that’s out of the way, tell me how are you really?”

“Like I said, good. Just really busy with the wedding.”

Marie hummed and gave Zelda a knowing look. “Are you sure about that, _ma chérie_?”

Zelda sighed. Marie always had a way of getting to the bottom of things. She’d always been very in tune with other’s emotions, and at college, people used to call her a psychic. “I’m...I’m not doing great. I’ve had a severe lapse of judgment and it’s coming back to bite me in the ass.”

“Do you want to talk about it? Maybe it will help to get it off your chest.”

Zelda laughed humourlessly. “It’s going to sound ridiculous.”

“Try me.”

“It all started when I lied to my sister. I was ashamed of not having a date for her wedding, so I pretended that I had someone. I really didn’t think it through. Eventually, she wanted to know who it was, and the first person who came to mind was my colleague. Lilith.” Zelda inwardly cringed thinking back to that night. “I knew straight away that I was making a mistake, but I was too proud to admit it. Long story short I asked Lilith to pretend to be my girlfriend for a couple of days.”

Zelda looked up and met Marie’s eyes. She was relieved to see there was no judgment there. “And she agreed, yes?”

“Yes. And it was fine for a while. I felt bad for lying to Hilda, but what else could I do. The problem is we’ve been spending a lot of time together working on this case and keeping up the pretense.” Zelda paused, unsure of how to word her emotions.

“Let me guess, you’ve fallen for her.”

“Yes,” Zelda whispered hiding her face in her hands. "I mean I've always found her to be physically attractive, but now..." Zelda trailed off and took a shaky breath. It was the first time she had admitted it out loud. 

“Hey, look at me, _ma chérie_. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing.” Marie pried Zelda’s hands away from her face and held them in hers. “You deserve to have someone good in your life. Someone who will actually appreciate you.”

“It’s just all so confusing. Am I in love? Am I just infatuated with her? How much is she pretending?” Zelda breathing was speeding up, her panic rising. “I don’t know what is real and what is fake!”

“Shh, take deep breaths, Zelda.”

Zelda did as she was told and tried to get her breathing under control. Her throat was tight and she could feel her eyes prickling with unshed tears. 

“It was all just a big mistake.” The sob Zelda was holding back ripped through her, and Marie pulled her closer holding her tight, stroking her hair soothingly. 

Neither Zelda or Marie heard the elevator ding, too caught up in the moment.

“I should have never asked Lilith to pretend to be my date,” Zelda said as she hid her face in the crook of Marie’s neck.

The sound of someone clearing their throat startled them both and Zelda quickly backed out of the embrace. It was Lilith. She was standing in the doorway, her face unreadable.

Zelda wiped at her eyes hastily. How much had she heard? “Lilith-“

Lilith held up her hand to silence Zelda. “I came down here to tell you I think I solved the case, but I can see you’ve got your hands full here.” And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, we love a bit of angst! How much did Lilith hear!? Thanks for reading as always! ❤❤


	8. VIII

The sound of a sharp rap against Zelda’s bedroom door forced her to open her eyes.

“Zelds? Aren’t you going to work today?” She heard Hilda’s voice through the door.

Zelda wished the answer was no, but she knew she had to. She had been snoozing her alarm for the past half hour, hating herself more and more each time the dammed thing went off. Reluctantly she shoved the pillow off her head and instantly regretted it. Everything seemed too bright. She pulled the covers back over her head and tried to ignore Hilda’s incessant knocks that seemed to reverberate through her skull.

“I’m coming!” She croaked her voice hoarse and her throat sore. She tried to swallow but her mouth was dry.

She sat up gingerly as she heard Hilda shuffle away. She was still wearing her clothes form the day before and she smelled like a minibar. She faintly remembered sloshing the fourth of fifth drink down the front of her shirt. With great effort she pushed herself off the bed, holding on to the side table as the world spun around her. 

When Zelda got home the previous night she grabbed a bottle of whiskey and retreated to the parlor to drown her misery. It was all she could do to not think of Lilith. How hurt she looked standing in the basement. The tone of indifference as she walked away leaving Zelda hurt and confused. Marie took her leave soon after, encouraging Zelda to go and speak to Lilith and clear up the situation. However, when Zelda reached Lilith’s desk she found it was not going to be that simple.

“Lilith,” She tried not really knowing what to say.

“What do you want Spellman?” Lilith snapped her eyes cold.

“I need to explain. I –“

“Why don’t you run back downstairs and go explain to your little girlfriend? Go and tell her what big of a mistake you made.”

“Please, you don’t understand.”

“No, I think I’ve got it all figured out actually.” Lilith's voice was rising dangerously. “You regret asking for my help. And that’s fine. I never wanted to do it in any case. I guess I just pitied you. Poor, lonely Zelda Spellman who can’t even manage to find a real date for her sister’s wedding so she resorts to lying. Pathetic.”

Those words stung. Zelda could feel fresh tears threatening to spill over. 

“Please,” She tried again desperately. 

“Just leave me alone.” Lilith spat.

Logically Zelda knew Lilith was overreacting. There was no use trying to talk to her in such a state. Besides she didn’t want to make any more of a scene. So instead she walked away, blinking back tears.

The sound of her alarm going off again snapped Zelda out of her thoughts. As she bent down to turn it off a wave of nausea washed over her. She needed a shower. She brushed her teeth twice and washed her body and hair quickly. The shower did little to reduce the throbbing in her head, but at least she smelled better.

As she entered the kitchen she noticed a tall glass of water on her usual spot as well as some aspirin. Hilda must have noticed the almost empty whiskey bottle. She chugged it down gratefully and went to fill the glass again.

Hilda walked into the kitchen with her coat and bag in her arms, obviously ready to leave for work.

“How are you feeling?” She asked knowingly.

“I’ve been better.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Zelda shook her head as she finished the second glass of water.

“Did something happen at work? Is it Lilith?” Hilda wrung her hands nervously, knowing all too well that Zelda was irritable when she was hungover.

Zelda sighed. She might as well be honest, seeing that she wasn’t sure that Lilith would still accompany her to the wedding. “We had a bit of a fallout, yes but I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll work through it.” Hilda gave her a reassuring smile before heading for the door.

* * *

The drive to work had Zelda feeling increasingly worse. Whether it was from the hangover or the anxiety over facing Lilith she couldn’t tell. She had to talk to Lilith and explain. She would tell her that the stress of the wedding and the pretending had gotten to her and that whatever Lilith heard was out of context. They had come too far and Zelda refused to have all her hard work go down the drain just because she was catching feelings.

When she arrived at work she walked straight to Lilith’s desk, determined to fix things. However, when she got there, Lilith was nowhere to be seen. Zelda contemplated waiting at the desk for her, but it was already much later than Lilith’s normal arrival time, so she figured it was no use. Dejectedly she entered the basement. At least it was nice and quiet and relatively dark, the perfect cure for her hangover. Time dragged. The people from the funeral home had come and gone and the basement felt straggly empty without Conner’s body in the fridge. Zelda stayed in the basement for the entirety of the day. She didn’t have an apatite and the thought of smoking made her queasy. 

Sometime after Connor’s body had been taken she decided to rest her eyes, just for a moment. She rested her head on her arms atop her desk and dozed off. She awoke with a start and pins and needles in her arms. She checked her phone and realized she napped for way too long. She hadn’t even meant to fall asleep. She scrambled up and grabbed her things. She was supposed to leave early to run a special errand for Hilda. She was just about to leave the building when she decided to see if Lilith was at her desk. It was still unoccupied. She let out a deep sigh. It seemed that she would be attending the wedding alone after all. 

Just then she heard voices down the hall. Lilith had walked out of one of the integrations rooms, a smile plastered on her face. 

“Good job detective!” She heard one of the officers say, patting her on the back.

The captain also walked closer, shaking her hand and saying something Zelda couldn’t make out. She must have solved the case after all. Their eyes met briefly as Lilith shook another officer’s hand. The smirk she had, vanished and was replaced by a sad smile. She peeled herself away from the congratulating officer and started walking down the hall towards Zelda.

Zelda closed her eyes and walked away before Lilith could catch up to her. She heard Lilith call her name so she increased her pace. Yes, she was running away but she couldn’t face talking to Lilith now. Besides she had somewhere to be before the store closed close. She got in her car and sped away.

She just had one errand to run for Hilda and it was quite a special one. She had to take a drive to a small town a couple of towns over from Greendale to pick up a very specific piece of jewelry. Hilda had seen a necklace months ago in the window of the shop when she and Doctor Cee were having a romantic weekend getaway. She had fallen in love with it immediately. She decided not to get it, even though it would go perfectly with her wedding dress. She couldn’t justify the hefty price tag and opted to lend one of Zelda’s pearl necklaces for the wedding. Zelda didn’t mind her borrowing a string of pearls, but she knew Hilda would much prefer the other one. Some nights Hilda would just stare at the picture of the necklace on her phone clearly regretting not buying it. Zelda decide to chip in and get the necklace for her as a wedding gift.

It was quite a drive but Zelda knew it was worth it. The necklace was exquisite: Sterling silver lined with stunning white stones that looked just like real diamonds. The drive there was uneventful. Try as she might, Zelda couldn’t stop thinking about Lilith. What did she want to say to her? Probably just some more insults. She thought back to Lilith’s reaction the day before. Why was she taking it so personally in any case? She suddenly felt angry at Lilith. All she had to do was hold up her end of the bargain when they were around Zelda's family. Zelda didn't ask her to pretend to be her friend. She was making things more complicated than it was ever supposed to be. She pushed the thoughts away as she reached the store. She was just in time, her unplanned nap putting her behind schedule. She paid and took the necklace from the jeweler and headed back to her car. She couldn’t wait to get home.

The towns passed behind her and before she knew it she was turning on to the bridge leading back into Greendale. There was suddenly a lot more traffic on the road, and the cars in front of her moved at a sluggish pace until they came to a stop. Peak traffic in Greendale was unheard of so Zelda figured there must have been an accident. That was exactly what she needed. Minutes passed by but still, there was no movement. Cars were standing bumper to bumper. Eventually, a traffic officer on a motorbike came passed stopping at every window to explain the situation. A truck had overturned, blocking both lanes. They were trying to clear at least one of the lanes, but it could take up to an hour.

All Zelda could do was wait. She was sweating behind her sunglasses and the sun beating down on her was not helping with her headache. She messaged Hilda explaining that she was going to be late. Hilda told her not to worry and that she had a surprise waiting for her at home, as well as a warm plate of food. Food sounded good. Zelda hadn’t eaten since breakfast and she was in dire need of some more aspirin.

Mercifully the cars in front of her started to move. One by one they went into the oncoming lane to pass the truck that lay on its side. Some people pulled off in the yellow line to take photos and videos, but Zelda couldn’t care less. The only thing on her mind was getting home. _"Let Greendale cast a spell on you"_ She read aloud as she passed the welcome sign. By the time she neared the house, the sun had begun to set. Zelda had never been so relieved to see the Spellman house looming in the distance. It was truly a day from Hell and she couldn’t wait to get some food into her system and slip into a warm bath to wash off the day’s exhaustion.

As she turned onto the gravel road leading to the house her relief turned into anxiety. Lilith’s car was parked in the driveway. What was she doing here? Surely she hadn’t come to tell Hilda the truth about their little charade? 

With shaking hands, she unlocked the front door as quietly as she could. She wanted to assess the situation before she let anyone know she was home. She peered passed the stairs and into the kitchen. Low and behold Lilith was sitting at the kitchen table with Hilda at her side. Lilith sipped at a cup of tea while Hilda was chatting amicably about something. It would seem Lilith hadn’t said anything irresponsible. Yet.

“What going on here?” Zelda asked as she walked closer to the table.

“Ah, Zelds! There you are! I was just about to call you. We were getting worried.”

Zelda glanced from Hilda to Lilith, thoroughly confused. Lilith placed her cup down and got out of her chair taking Zelda’s hand and kissing her lightly on the cheek.

Zelda froze, alarm bells going off in her head. _What the hell are you doing here?_ She wanted to scream. She resisted the urge to rip her hand from Lilith’s. She couldn’t stand the gentle touches from the woman who said such cruel things to here less than 24 hours ago.

“Well there’s your surprise” Hilda announced in a sing-song voice, gesturing at Lilith. “I invited her to stay over tonight and tomorrow night. She assured me you guys resolved your little issue.”

“Yes, yes we have,” Zelda replied blankly, allowing herself to be led to the table. Lilith smiled at her shyly as she picked up her tea again. She wanted nothing more than to storm out of the kitchen, but the smell of whatever Hilda was warming in the microwave changed her mind. As Hilda placed a steaming plate of food in front of her, she registered her words. “Lilith is staying over?” She asked Hilda incredulously, ignoring Lilith completely.

“I think I’ll pop to the ladies.” Lilith got up and left the kitchen giving the sisters a moment alone.

“Why would you do that?” Zelda hissed once Lilith was out of earshot.

“I thought it would be nice,” Hilda answered suddenly seeming unsure. “You guys aren’t still fighting are you?”

“What did she tell you about our argument?”

“Nothing. I assumed it was just a lovers’ quarrel. Do you not want her here?”

Zelda collected her thoughts. It seemed they were still going forward with their plan so she plastered her best fake smile on her face. “No, of course, I do. I’m just tired that’s all Hilda. It’s been a long day.”

Lilith returned shortly after and took her place at the table once more. “So where’s the necklace?” Lilith spoke up filling the awkward silence that settled as Zelda ate. 

Hilda must have filled her in while they were waiting for her. Zelda reached for her handbag on the floor and placed the velvet jewelry box on the table. 

“Oh my gosh, it’s even more beautiful than I remember!” Hilda gushed as she held the necklace in her hands. “Thank you so much Zelds!” Hilda got up and hugged Zelda. 

“It’s a pleasure. Now if you ladies will excuse me I’m going to bed. I’m exhausted.” 

Once in the safety of her room Zelda quickly changed into her nightgown and removed her makeup before heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She couldn’t believe Lilith was in her house. For a two night sleepover no less! She could strangle Hilda for acting so impulsively without so much as consulting her. And why did Lilith accept the invitation!? Zelda sighed as she walked back to her room. There was no point in getting worked up about it now. 

When Zelda pushed her bedroom door open, she almost jumped out of her skin. Lilith was sitting on the edge of her bed, dressed in silky pajama shorts and a tank top. Her hair was braided in two pigtails and her face devoid of makeup.

She jumped off the bed as Zelda entered the room.

“What are you doing here?” Zelda hissed, closing the door behind her.

“Your sister invited yesterday morning and I said yes. That was before we had our little argument.” Lilith suddenly seemed less confident than normal. "I couldn't drop her at the last minute." 

“I meant in my room.”

“Oh, Hilda directed me here. Apparently the spare room is already set up for Sabrina’s boyfriend.”

“Well, you can’t sleep here.” There was no way in hell she was sharing her bed with this woman. “You’ll have to go sleep on the couch.”

“And how is that going to look? Hilda will ask questions.”

Zelda grit her teeth in frustration. Lilith was right. Wordlessly she left her room and walked to the linen closet. She opened it softly not wanting to alert Hilda and grabbed what she needed. 

“Here,” She shoved two thick blankets in Lilith’s arms before tossing her one of the pillows of her bed. “You can make yourself a makeshift bed on the floor.”

Lilith nodded and did as she was told. As soon the blankets were laid out on the floor where Hilda’s bed used to stand, Zelda, flicked the lamp off and got into bed. She listened as Lilith slid under the covers on the floor. There was a beat of silence before Lilith spoke up.

“Zelda, I need to apologize.” Zelda ignored her. “I said some terrible things to you yesterday and I’m sorry. I completely overreacted and I didn’t mean what I said.” 

Silence followed as Zelda considered her words. She certainly did overreact, but Zelda still couldn't understand why.

“Will you please forgive me?” Lilith tried again her voice nearly a whisper. 

Zelda truly wanted to forgive her but she was still hurt and angry. She turned on to her side to face the wall. “Goodnight, Lilith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, will they just admit the like each other already?


	9. IX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided that Caliban will be Sabrina's bf for the purpose of this fic. But he will actually be a nice guy and not an asshole.

Zelda awoke staring at the wall, lying in the exact position that she fell asleep in. The morning sun crept in through the curtains, illuminating the room in a soft glow. Zelda felt refreshed, the headache and lethargic feeling of the day before a thing of the past. She rolled around to check the time when she froze. She had totally forgotten that Lilith had spent the night on her bedroom floor. Lilith lay on her side facing Zelda, but thankfully she still seemed to be asleep. One of her arms were underneath the pillow as if to add extra height to the flat pillow Zelda tossed her the night before. Most of her hair had escaped from her braids and the blanket was twisted around her lower body. Zelda wondered if she always slept that wildly or if the fact that she was sleeping on the floor had anything to do with the state of her disarray. A pang of guilt shot through Zelda. Sleeping on the floor couldn’t have been comfortable.

Checking her phone Zelda saw it was still relatively early. She still had a couple of hours before she had to leave to collect Sabrina so technically she could go back to sleep. She closed her eyes and tried her best to drift off again, but it was difficult. She could swear that she heard Lilith’s soft breathing from across the room. She heard the shuffle of blankets as Lilith repositioned herself, curling up into a fetus position. _Shouldn’t Lilith be getting ready for work?_

Zelda threw her blankets off and padded over to Lilith. She kneeled down and gently shook her shoulders. Lilith clumsily tried to swat Zelda’s hand away and mumbled something incoherent.

“Lilith, wake up.” Zelda tried. 

Slowly Lilith’s eyes slid open and she drowsily squinted against the sunlight.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?”

Lilith closed her eyes again. Clearly she wasn’t an early riser. “I’ve got the day off since I solved the case.” She blindly pulled at the blanket trying and failing to cover herself. Zelda pulled the blanket up over her and Lilith mumbled a thank you before drifting off again.

Zelda stood up and sighed. She was definitely not going to fall asleep again with Lilith just a few feet away.

Grabbing what she needed, Zelda made her way to the bathroom. She decided to take that bath she’d be dreaming of the day before. She highly doubted she’d have time for such luxuries once Sabrina and Ambrose arrived. She started filling up the bath, throwing in some bubble bath and essential oils for good measure. She slid into the water delighting in the way the heat enveloped her skin. She stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the silky feel of the water and the smell of lavender. Reluctantly she washed her body and lathered her hair with shampoo before grabbing a nearby towel and getting out to dry herself. She got dressed in a pair of navy jeans and a loose shirt.

As she was making her way back to her room she bumped into Hilda. She was still in her pajamas and slippers.

“Morning Zelds! I was just about to pop in and ask what Lilith wanted for breakfast.” 

“I’ll ask her and let you know.”

Hilda was moving towards Zelda’s bedroom door. “Well, I am here now. Is she awake?” Hilda reached out towards the doorknob.

“No!” Zelda said a little too loudly. If Hilda were to open that door she’d find Lilith sleeping on the floor, and Zelda was not ready for that conversation.

Hilda dropped her hand immediately and arched her eyebrows.

“She…she’s indecent.” Zelda forced out quickly.

Hilda turned beet red. “Oh my. Well, you...I’m...I’ll just be in the kitchen.”

Zelda watched with bated breath as Hilda disappeared down the stairs before she entered her room and closed the door behind her quickly. That was much too close for comfort. 

Zelda walked over to were Lilith was still sprawled out on the floor and tried to wake her again. 

“What is it now?” She asked irritated not even opening her eyes. 

“I’m getting ready to fetch my niece, and I’m guessing you still want to sleep.”

Lilith mumbled her agreement. 

“I suggest you get in my bed then. I had to stop Hilda from coming in here just now to get your breakfast preference. She might come in here while I’m gone so…”

Lilith opened her eyes and sat up. “I understand.” She pushed herself off the floor and threw herself on the bed and let out a content sigh. “That’s more like it.”

Zelda quickly picked up the blankets and threw them in her cupboard before seating herself at her vanity. She brushed through her still damp hair before pulling it up in a loose ponytail. She decided against any heavy makeup since Hilda would most probably put her to work once she got back, and settled for some eyeliner and lip gloss instead. As she glanced over to the bed she found Lilith’s eyes trained on her.

“What?” She asked defensively. 

“Nothing. Can’t I look at you?” 

Zelda didn’t respond. She hadn’t completely forgiven Lilith yet and a part of her was still hurt. She finished her makeup and grabbed her purse and her phone. “Okay, I’m leaving now. I should be back in about an hour. I suggest you make yourself presentable by then.”

Lilith mock saluted her before closing her eyes and turning around.

* * *

The drive to Riverdale was uneventful and before she knew it Zelda was parked outside the college campus. She sent Sabrina a text to let her know she arrived and not long after a tired-looking Sabrina and a tanned blond-haired boy walked towards the car. 

“Auntie Zee!” Sabrina exclaimed dropping her suitcase to pull Zelda in for a hug. She gestured towards the young man. “Auntie meet Caliban, Caliban this is my Aunt Zelda.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am,” He said shaking her hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Zelda smiled at him politely before popping the trunk. Sabrina sat in the passenger seat and Caliban at the back. Sabrina talked amicably about how much she was enjoying her studies and how much she missed everyone. Caliban was mostly quiet and before long he went to lie down across the backseat and closed his eyes.

“You must forgive him, auntie. We had an exciting night.”

Zelda looked over at Sabrina in surprise. As much as they were open about sex as she was growing up, Zelda didn’t want to hear about Sabrina’s sex life on an empty stomach. 

Sabrina must have realized the ambiguity of her words. “Not like that auntie, we had a party that’s all.”

“A party? I thought you couldn’t come home yesterday because you had a test?”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. " _We did_ , and then we had a party to celebrate.”

Zelda just nodded, she didn’t buy it.

“Come on auntie, I’m sure you had some wild times at college too.”

Zelda kept her eyes on the road. She couldn’t dispute that. “As long as you don’t do half of the things I did.”

Sabrina laughed. “I’m too afraid to ask. I do have to wonder if that’s when your interest in woman began.” Sabrina looked over at Zelda innocently.

“Excuse me?” She didn’t want a conversation about her sex life either. She glanced at the backseat feeling mortified.

“Don’t worry auntie he’s asleep. Obviously Aunt Hilda told me about your mysterious new girlfriend and I was just wondering when _that_ had become a thing.”

Zelda kept her eyes on the road. “I suppose I started experimenting college yes.”

“No judgment auntie! Aunt Hilda assured me that this isn’t your first dalliance with a woman. I’m just happy that you’re happy.” 

Zelda couldn’t stop the smile creeping onto her face. As much as she was still hurt she was genuinely happy to be around Lilith.

Sabrina squealed and clapped her hands together when she noticed Zelda smile. “Tell me all about her. What’s she like?”

“You’ll see soon enough, she’s at the house already.” She didn’t want to say too much.

Mercifully they were nearing the house and Zelda managed to avoid any further questions. Zelda barely put the car in park before Sabrina jumped out and bounded up the porch steps. Zelda trailed behind while an ashen looking Caliban grabbed their bags out of the trunk. 

When Zelda entered the kitchen she saw it was a full house. Ambrose was sitting in his usual spot sipping a cup of coffee and Lilith was standing at the counter buttering toast. Hilda was behind the stove but abandoned it immediately as Sabrina ran straight to her. Hilda enveloped her in a hug holding her close to her chest. “Oh, Sabrina I’ve missed you!” Hilda sighed planting a kiss on her cheek. 

“When did you get here?” Zelda asked Ambrose who had gotten up to hug her and then Sabrina.

“Just a couple of minutes ago. Prudence dropped me on her way to work. She'll come over later tonight.”

Zelda looked around to find both Lilith and Caliban standing to the side a bit awkwardly. 

“Sabrina I’d like you to meet Lilith.” Zelda gestured at Lilith.

Sabrina’s face lit up. She walked over and extended her hand which Lilith accepted with a smile. “It’s so good to meet you, Lilith.”

“I must say, auntie, good catch,” Ambrose said giving Zelda a thumbs up. Lilith smirked at him and Zelda blushed and swatted his arm. 

Having breakfast with Sabrina and Ambrose present made Zelda feel nostalgic. Ambrose was eating bacon by the dozen while lovingly teasing Sabrina. Lilith and Caliban watched their banter with amused looks on their faces. Of course, Hilda wanted to know more about Caliban and how they met, which sent Sabrina into a detailed explanation about how Caliban sat behind her in some class and asked her to explain something he didn’t understand. Sabrina though he was full of himself, but as they spent more time together they learned they had a lot in common. Caliban sheepishly admitted that he had a crush on Sabrina from the moment he laid eyes on her and that he only pretended he didn’t understand the work to get her attention. 

Lilith looked over at Zelda as Caliban spoke with a strange look on her face. Zelda pretended not to notice. 

“Your turn auntie Zee,” Sabrina said pointedly as she helped herself to another pancake. Zelda shot her a confused look. “Tell me how you and Lilith got together.”

“Oh. Well, we met at work and took a liking to each other.” Zelda delivered the well-practiced lie. 

“Is that it? Come on, give me all the deets!”

“I, uh.” Zelda froze looking at Lilith. 

“Well Sabrina, as you know your aunt is quite the charmer. She swept me off my feet instantly.” Lilith replied coming to Zelda’s rescue.

“And what did you do?”

“I battled with my feelings for a bit, not wanting to admit to myself that I liked her. But we work together so there was no use avoiding it.” Lilith kept her eyes glued on Zelda and took her hand. “I knew I had to make a move so I did.”

Zelda could feel her heartbeat in her chest. She felt trapped in Lilith’s piercing gaze.

“Oh my, that is so sweet!” Sabrina broke the moment.

Zelda forced a smile “What can I say? Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to smoke.” She grabbed her cigarettes and walked out of the backdoor as calmly as possible. She lit a cigarette the moment she was outside taking a deep drag. “ _Get a grip, Spellman!_ She walked to railing holding onto it to ground herself. She had to remind herself that it was all just an act. Lilith was doing exactly what she asked her. She was playing her part of the loving girlfriend perfectly. By the time she finished her cigarette, she felt a bit calmer, but she didn't feel like going back inside. She leaned against the railing and looked over the back garden and into the trees that surrounded their property. She felt something nudge at her legs and looked down. It was Sabrina’s cat, Salem. She bent down to pick him up and stroked his soft fur. He purred contently.

“Soon it will just be you and me.” She whispered to him scratching his ears. He meowed at her before jumping out of her arms to lie in the sun. 

Zelda heard the back door open and close and assumed it was just Hilda coming to give her the day’s itinerary. She turned her head but instead of Hilda, she was met with Lilith. She walked over to stand next to Zelda placing her hands on the railing. 

They were silent for a moment until Zelda couldn’t stand it. “Good acting back there. Sabrina is totally sold.”

Lilith hummed not meeting Zelda’s gaze. They fell back into silence and Lilith stared at the trees seemingly deep in thought. 

Eventually, Lilith spoke up. “Are you still mad at me?”

Zelda hesitated for a moment and then shook her head. She was mad at herself.

“Good,” Lilith said turning to face Zelda. “We need to talk.”

Zelda looked at Lilith expectantly. Had she realized what she had gotten herself into and wanted to call the whole thing off?

Lilith surprised her by taking a step closer and taking Zelda’s hands. “I haven’t been completely honest with you. There are things I want to tell you but I’m not sure how.” Lilith hesitated looking into Zelda’s eyes willing her to understand. 

Lilith sighed. “I’m not the best at verbal communication. Perhaps it would be better if I showed you.“

Zelda was frozen. Her heartbeat sped up again as Lilith took another step closer, their bodies almost touching. Lilith slowly angled her face closer to Zelda’s, her eyes dropping to her lips. Zelda’s eyes fluttered closed. She could feel Lilith’s breath on her lips.

Then without warning the back door burst open. Zelda whipped her head to the side at the intrusion. It was Sabrina hand in hand with Caliban. Zelda could feel herself blush.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you guys were still out here. I just wanted to show Caliban Aunt Hilda’s rose bushes.”

“No worries,” Lilith said dropping Zelda’s hands. “We were just about to head back in.” With that Lilith walked back into the house.

Zelda was trying to catch up to Lilith when Hilda blocked her. “Oh, there you are! I’ve been looking for you. The tent people are coming soon and Ambrose and Caliban volunteered to help them. I need you to run to the shop to pick up champagne and then to the florist-“

“Yes, yes Hilda just write it down for me.” She interrupted her sister and walked towards the direction Lilith disappeared to. 

“Can we talk?” She whispered at Lilith urgently. 

“No can do I’m afraid.” She replied waving a piece of paper at Zelda. “Hilda asked me to collect her dress and the tux. So I best be off.” 

Zelda sighed as Lilith escaped out of the front door. It was obvious that their conversation was not going to be picked up again anytime soon.

* * *

As predicted it was a busy day. Everyone had specific tasks to do. Hilda was having a home wedding since she didn’t have many guests. Needless to say, the house had to be spotless. Two big marquee tents were set up in the back garden and chairs and tables were lined up perfectly. Zelda volunteered to place some of the decorations on the tables so that there would be less to do the next day and Lilith and Ambrose were hanging up fairy lights. Zelda kept glancing over at Lilith but Lilith never looked her way. She kept thinking about their moment on the porch. What did Lilith want to say to her?

Zelda could tell that Hilda was panicking slightly but she kept her cool and brought refreshments to keep everyone going. By the time everything was ticked off the list it was dinner time. Everyone was exhausted and no one was in the mood to cook. They opted for sandwiches and Hilda thanked everyone for their help and retreated to her room for an early night. She said she wanted to get all the beauty sleep she could.

Caliban wanted to see more of Greendale, so he, Sabrina and Ambrose walked into town to meet up with Prudence. 

“Please don’t go to wild!” Zelda called after them as they walked up the gravel road. “I don’t think Hilda would appreciate hungover wedding guests.”

When Zelda closed the front door Lilith was nowhere to be seen. Again. She desperately wanted to speak to Lilith about what happened earlier. Was Lilith going to kiss her or was she making it all up in her head?

When Zelda returned from the bathroom ready for bed she found Lilith spreading her blankets on the floor ready to get into her makeshift bed.

Zelda sat down on the edge of her bed and Lilith sat down on the floor. Zelda tried to read Lilith’s expression.

“Can we-“

“Zelda-“

They spoke in tandem. “You go first," Zelda said.

“I was just going to say goodnight.”

Zelda sighed. “Can we continue our conversation from earlier please?”

“We can. But not tonight. I fear it will complicate things. Let’s just get the wedding over and done with.”

Zelda tried not to let her disappointment show. Perhaps it was better if things were left unsaid. She was exhausted in any case. 

Lilith lied down and Zelda felt guilty again. She had a perfectly sizable bed. Surely she could sacrifice it for one night. 

“Come over here.” She said patting the space beside her. 

Lilith hesitated. 

“Just get in. We both need a good night’s sleep for tomorrow.” 

Lilith nodded and wordlessly placed the blankets back in the cupboard before crawling into the bed. 

Zelda set her alarm and flicked the light off before pulling the duvet over both of them. They lay side by side on their backs keeping a reasonable amount of space between them. Zelda could hear Lilith’s soft breathing and she closed her eyes trying to ignore the nervous feeling in her chest. She felt she had to say something to make it less awkward. 

“Thanks again for your help today. I really appreciate it.”

Lilith didn’t respond at first and Zelda wondered if she had fallen asleep that quickly.

“I’m happy to help,” She finally answered. “Now let’s get some sleep.” And with that Lilith turned her back towards Zelda leaving her alone with her racing thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has one of these idiots finally admitted to herself that she likes the other idiot!?


	10. X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a filler chapter. Hilda and Doctor Cee tie the knot ❤

Zelda was faintly aware of the sound of her alarm blaring somewhere behind her. The sound was irritating but Zelda had no intention of opening her eyes or moving from her extremely comfortable position. The alarm kept screeching on and suddenly she felt the mattress dip as someone leaned over her shutting it off. Zelda smiled contently as she burrowed herself deeper into the soft sheets and snuggled closer to the source of warmth beside her, ready to drift back to sleep. A strand of hair tickled her nose and her eyes shot open. For a second her vision was blurry and then raven locks and olive skin came in to focus. With a shock, she realized what she was doing. She was cuddling Lilith. Her face was buried in Lilith’s neck and her arm was thrown over Lilith’s stomach. She slowly tried to move away praying that Lilith had fallen back asleep, but no such luck. Lilith’s blue eyes met hers and Lilith offered her a shy smile. 

“Good morning,” Lilith said softly her voice raspy.

Zelda’s eyes were wide and she could feel her pulse beating wildly in her veins. She realized that she was still holding on to Lilith and quickly pulled her arm back, scooting away from her. 

“I’m sorry about that.” She said looking anywhere but at Lilith.

Lilith scooted down lower and turned on her side to face Zelda. “That’s okay.” It seemed that she wanted to say something else but thought better off it. 

“I hope I wasn’t doing that all night” Zelda wondered aloud. 

“You might have yes. But it’s a price I’d gladly pay if it means not sleeping on the floor.”

Zelda met Lilith’s gaze and was relieved to see no judgment on her face or teasing glint in her eyes. 

Suddenly someone pounded on the bedroom door startling them both.

“The two of you better get up!” Ambrose’s voice boomed through the door. “We have all been summoned by the bride to be.”

With a sigh, Zelda rolled out of the bed and threw on a silky robe. When Zelda and Lilith entered the kitchen they found the rest of the household had already assembled. Ambrose was sitting on the counter munching on a bowl of porridge and Sabrina, Caliban and Prudence where seated at the table. They were all still in their pajamas and looked worse for wear. 

“What did I tell you about not going wild last night?” Zelda whispered to Sabrina as she took her seat. 

“We’re not hungover auntie” Sabrina stifled a yawn. “Just tired.” 

Lilith plopped down next to Zelda handing her a cup of coffee which she gratefully accepted. 

“Can I have everyone’s attention please,” Hilda said as she skipped into the kitchen with a stack of papers. “As you all know today is the big day! I would just like to give everyone their itinerary for today to assure that everything runs smoothly.”

Ambrose audibly groaned.

Hilda ignored him and glanced down at her stack of papers. “Ok first things first. The rest of the decorations need to be placed on the tables, as well as the plates and cutlery. Zelda and Prudence will see to that. The flowers we’ll do last so they don’t wilt in the heat. Lilith, will you make sure all the fairy lights are up and powered?

Lilith nodded. 

“Sabrina and Rosalind will start with my hair and makeup around twelve and Ambrose you need to go and fetch Doctor Cee around one so he can get ready in the embalming room.” She shuffled through her papers. “What am I forgetting?”

“The music auntie,” Ambrose spoke up. “Melvin should be here by two and I’ll help him set up.”

Hilda nodded nervously. “Ok. The rest of the guests should start arriving by 3:30 and then at four the ceremony will begin.”

Sabrina reached out and squeezed Hilda’s arm. “Don’t stress auntie. Everything will be perfect.”

After a quick breakfast, everyone got to work on their respective tasks. It didn’t take long to set up the rest of the decorations. Prudence and Zelda made quick work of it chatting in between. The lights were up and Ambrose and Caliban packed the chairs out on the lawn for the ceremony. Hilda was floating in between everyone, clearly worried that they were forgetting something or doing something wrong. By the time Ross arrived with her makeup bag in hand, Sabrina literally had to force Hilda up the stairs. “Auntie if we don’t start now we are going to run behind schedule.” That was enough to send Hilda running up the stairs. 

At the arranged time Ambrose left to collect Doctor Cee and Zelda plonked herself down in the kitchen for a break. She pulled Hilda’s notes closer going over everything again. She really did want everything to be perfect for her sister. Lilith appeared from behind her snatching the papers away. 

“Please, don’t you also start going into perfectionist mode. Everything is done, except for the music.”

“I’m just double-checking.” Zelda snapped, grabbing the papers back.

“Honestly you Spellman women stress too much.” Lilith walked over to the fridge grabbing a bowl of grapes and sat across from Zelda “Here have some. You haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

Reluctantly Zelda grabbed a bunch of grapes. Lilith was right, she was starving. “Ok everybody has showered except Ambrose. But he assured me he’ll be quick.” Zelda said absent mindedly as she scanned the itinerary again. “It’s just me and you that still needs to. Do you want to go first or shall I.”

“You go first,” Lilith said popping another grape in her mouth. They ate in comfortable silence while Zelda crossed things off the to do list until she was satisfied that everything was in order.

Zelda showered quickly, suddenly worried that she wasn’t going to be ready by 3:30. She wrapped herself in a towel and padded over to her room. Lilith was lying on her bed twiddling her thumbs. “The bathroom’s all yours.”

Lilith nodded grabbing her things. “I’ll just get dressed in Sabrina’s room. That way we won’t get in each other’s way.”

It didn’t take long for Zelda to get ready. She found the process of doing her makeup and curling her hair calming and by the time she took one last look in the mirror her previous anxiety off things not going to plan had vanished. She bounced her curls slightly and smoothed down her red dress before leaving the room. It was time to check up on Hilda. 

Entering her sister's room she was met with quite a scene. Hilda was sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands, taking deep breaths. Sabrina was kneeling beside her soothingly rubbing her knee while Rosalind was standing to the side looking uncomfortable.

“What’s happened?” She asked Rosalind.

“I’m not sure. I had just put the finishing touches on her makeup when she said she needed a moment.”

“Hilda?” Zelda said cautiously walking closer to her sister. “What’s wrong?”

Hilda looked up relieved to see her Zelda. 

“You’re not having second thoughts are you?”

“No! Of course not. I love Cerberus and I do want to marry him. I guess I’m a bit nervous that’s all.”

“It’s just pre-wetting jitters. Completely normal. I’ll grab you a glass of water and then we’ll put your jewelry on.” Zelda took Hilda’s hand, hoping to calm her down. “Everything else is ready.”

Hilda nodded gratefully. Zelda squeezed her hand before walking to the kitchen.

As Zelda poured some ice water into the glass she heard the click of heels coming towards her. She turned around and felt the breath leave her lungs. Lilith was wearing a black dress and black stilettos. The dress was strapless showing off her tanned skin and toned arms perfectly. Her hair was impeccably curled as always and her lips were blood red. 

Lilith came to a stop in front of her and arched her eyebrows. Zelda realized she had been staring and cleared her throat. “Well, you scrub up nicely.” That was an understatement, but it was all Zelda could think to say. 

Lilith smirked at her. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

The ding of the doorbell echoed through the house. 

“That should be Doctor Cee’s family. Will you take this water up to Hilda and tell her I’ll be there soon.” Zelda said handing the water to Lilith before answering the door.

Doctor Cee was the eldest of three brothers. The second eldest Liam and his wife Maggie were the first to arrive along with the youngest brother Sebastian. Liam was the best man, and their twin daughters were the flower girls. The little girls looked adorable in their matching red dresses. Sebastian shook Zelda's hand a bit too long for her liking and made no secret that he was checking her out. Zelda ignored him and led them all to the back garden and directed them to Ambrose. 

As Zelda climbed the staircase the doorbell rang again and she groaned. 

“Don’t worry Ms. Spellman. It’s just Harvey.” Ross said as she passed Zelda on the stairs. “I’ll open up for the other guests as well as they arrive.”

Zelda nodded gratefully and made her way to her room, grabbing a small box from her bedside table, before entering Hilda’s room. She was pleased to see that Hilda had drunk most of the water and seemed visibly more relaxed. 

“Sorry about before,” Hilda said with a reassuring smile. “I was just having a moment.”

“Right Auntie. Lilith and I are going to go downstairs so long.” Sabrina said placing a soft kiss on Hilda’s cheek. “See you soon.”

Once they were alone Zelda walked over to where Hilda was standing. “Now for the final touches.” She announced picking up Hilda’s necklace from the vanity.

“Something new.” She said placing in around Hilda’s neck.

“Something borrowed.” She placed one of her own hairpins in Hilda’s cascading locks.

“And finally, something old as well as blue.” Zelda opened the box she had collected earlier and produced a silver ring with an oval blue stone in the middle. 

Hilda let out a gasp as Zelda handed her the ring. “That’s mother’s engagement ring! Wherever did you find that?”

“Don’t you worry,” Zelda said as she slid the ring onto Hilda’s right hand. Truth be told she had had the ring ever since their mother died, hidden underneath a loose floorboard. “There you are.” She turned Hilda to stand in front of the full-length mirror. She truly looked beautiful. 

“Mother and father would have been so proud of you, Hildy. Edward too.” Zelda said with a thick voice as she moved to stand behind Hilda in the mirror. 

Hilda turned around to face Zelda her eyes glassy and her lips quivering. “Now now sister. No crying.” Zelda said with a shaky laugh, blinking back her own tears. “We don’t want to ruin your makeup.”

Hilda nodded and dabbed at the corner of her eye with her finger. 

Zelda held Hilda’s hand all the way down the stairs until they reached the back door, where Ambrose was waiting. He looked smart, donned in a black tux with a red rose in the front pocket. 

Sabrina and Doctor Cee’s nieces were standing off two the side as Sabrina filled their flower baskets with rose petals.

“Are all the guests here?” Zelda asked as she passed Hilda to Ambrose who would be walking her down the aisle.

Ambrose nodded. “We’re all set Aunties.”

Zelda gestured the girls over and peeped outside giving the signal for the wedding march to begin playing.

The twins walked out first smiling and throwing their rose petals all over the red carpet that led to an arch were Doctor Cee was waiting. Sabrina followed suit. Zelda handed Hilda her bouquet and gave her one last reassuring smile before heading down the aisle as well. As she reached the archway she watched Doctor Cee’s face light up at the sight of Hilda and Ambrose coming down the carpet. Harvey was in the wings snapping photos as Hilda neared the archway. 

Ambrose planted a kiss on Hilda’s cheek as he placed her hand into Doctor Cee’s. Zelda took her seat next to Lilith and the rest of the Spellmans in the front row. The ceremony was short. Neither Hilda nor Doctor Cee where very religious so no prayers or bible verses were uttered. When it was time for them to read their vows Zelda choked up along with Hilda who was so full of emotion that she could barely get the words out. Zelda wiped at her tears hastily and felt Lilith take her hand rubbing it soothingly. 

“Do you, Hildegard Antoinette Spellman, take this man to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?" 

“I do.”

Do you Lance Cerberus, take this woman to be your wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

“I do.”

They shakily exchanged rings smiling brightly at each other. 

“By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Doctor Cee didn’t need to be told twice as he swooped in and placed a chaste but lingering kiss on Hilda’s mouth. The guests cheered and clapped as they broke apart. Zelda tried and failed to blink back tears again as the newlyweds went to sign the register. She could hardly believe her little sister was married.

Lilith silently handed her a tissue.

"Would you like a hug?"

Zelda needed a hug more than she cared to admit. She had no idea why she was getting this emotional. 

"I would tell you it's allergies, but I don't think you'll believe me." She whispered into Lilith's neck, allowing herself to be held. 

"No, I would certainly not have bought that," Lilith chuckled releasing Zelda from the hug and taking her hand. "Common let's get you a drink."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just named Dr Cee Lance because why not. I hope you enjoyed. I know there wasn't a lot of Zelda and Lilith action in this chapter, but I promise it's coming in the next chapter which will be the reception.


	11. XI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be some corny moments in this, but guess what I like it that way 😆

Zelda gratefully accepted a glass of something pink from Lilith. Cocktails were never her preferred drink of choice, but it was what Hilda was serving with the canapés while she and Doctor Cee were having some wedding pictures taken at the edge of the forest. She was never one to decline alcohol though, but she still grimaced at the sweet taste of the drink. 

Lilith didn’t seem to mind the taste, as she was standing next to Zelda happily chatting to Theo and Sabrina while sipping her drink. Lilith hovered close to Zelda, glancing at her occasionally to make sure she was okay. It wasn’t necessary though. Zelda composed herself quickly as the guests started to mingle with one another. She surely didn’t want to be seen as the over-emotional sister. She finished her drink swiftly and peeled herself away from a conversation with Mrs. Meeks. She was itching for a smoke, and she knew she left her cigarettes in the kitchen. She met Lilith’s gaze from where she was still talking to Sabrina’s friends, and brought her fingers to her lips, indicating that she was slipping away for a smoke. Lilith nodded in understanding and continued her conversation. 

The coolness of the kitchen was a welcome change to the heat of the afternoon. Zelda leaned against the island and lit a much-needed cigarette. She contemplated pouring herself a real drink but decided against it. She still had a speech to do and an act to uphold. She needed to pull herself together. It wasn’t just Hilda’s nuptials that made her emotional. The fact that Hilda would be leaving her soon weighed on her. They had never really discussed Hilda moving out, but she knew it was inevitable that Hilda would move in with Doctor Cee once they were back from honeymoon. She knew she ought to be happy that Hilda was starting this new chapter in her life, but it was daunting for Zelda to be completely alone in this huge house. 

With a sigh, Zelda stubbed her cigarette out in a nearby ashtray. This was her sister’s wedding and she would not spoil it by getting emotional. She could hear the guests outside chatting amongst each other, enjoying the good weather and snacks. She knew she should rejoin the festivities but she made no move to leave the kitchen. Just then the back door opened revealing Lilith.

“Hilda is requesting your presence. She wants to take some family photos.” Lilith announced.

Zelda fixed a smile on her face and fluffed her hair before following Lilith back out to the garden. She tried not to imagine what Lilith thought of her being so emotional and hiding in the kitchen. They made their way the edge of the trees where the rest of the Spellman’s where already waiting. Harvey snapped some pictures of the bride and groom alongside Ambrose and Sabrina, and then some with Zelda too. Zelda never enjoyed having her picture taken, but never the less she smiled dutifully alongside her family. Lilith patiently lounged against a nearby tree as they did a variety of poses. After a while, Harvey announced that he got some good ones and Zelda huffed a sigh of relief. That was enough photos for the entire year.

Lilith pushed herself off the tree and made her way to Zelda.

“Oh, Harvey!” Sabrina exclaimed, “Snap a photo of my aunt and Lilith, they both look so beautiful.”

Zelda tried to protest, but it was too late. Harvey stood ready with his camera once again and Sabrina and Hilda looked at her expectantly. She had no choice but to allow Lilith to pull her closer, wrapping her arm around her waist. Harvey snapped a couple of pictures and Zelda tried her best to look comfortable in Lilith’s embrace. 

“Alright, that’s quite enough.” Zelda said stoically. “We can’t keep the guests waiting too long.”

Hilda agreed, suddenly remembering she had thirty-odd people waiting outside in the garden. Zelda and the rest of the Spellman’s, including Lilith went ahead and instructed the guests to enter the tent and take their seats. 

The two marquee tents were set up in such a way that it formed one big tent. Table and chairs lined the sides of the tent with a sizable dance floor set up in the middle. To the one side, there were an array of drinks in ice buckets and a long table on which the buffet would be served. 

The Spellman’s and their respective plus ones were sharing a table with the bride and groom, while Doctor Cee’s family were seated at the table next to them. Zelda made sure that everyone found their seats okay. It was mostly Sabrina’s friends and some of Hilda’s friends from school like Mrs. Meeks and her husband. There were a handful of Hilda and Doctor Cee’s colleagues and one or two other family members. Once everyone was settled Ambrose tapped the microphone he had in his hand to get everyone’s attention.

“Now ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to our newlyweds!”

The crowd cheered and clapped as Hilda and Doctor Cee entered the reception and took their seats. 

When the cheering died down Ambrose spoke again. He gave a quick rundown of the evening’s proceedings before announcing that it was time for the first dance. Hilda and Doctor Cee took the floor. Hilda was timid at first, but Doctor Cee was a strong leader, and soon they were swaying gracefully to the sounds of some overplayed love song. More tears threatened to spill over as she watched them dance, but Zelda blinked them away quickly. They held each other so tenderly and they radiated pure love. Zelda’s heart clenched at the sight. She longed to have a love like that. 

The final notes of the song played, and applause echoed through the room. Hilda took her seat again and Doctor Cee made his way over the microphone to do the welcoming speech. Caterers and florist were thanked, as well as individual people that helped with the arrangements. Doctor Cee then announced that the buffet was officially open.

“Now that all the formalities are over, I can finally get to why I’m really here.” Lilith whispered to Zelda.

Zelda raised her eyebrows in confusion.

“The food of course!” Lilith winked playfully before getting up. “I told you I can’t resist free food.”

Lilith wasn’t kidding. She returned with a stacked plate that could nearly rival Ambrose’s. And that was saying a lot. Zelda had to admit the food was fantastic. Hilda obviously had a lot of say in how the dishes were prepared. They ate and drank merrily and by the time Zelda finished her much smaller plate, Lilith was getting up for a second helping. 

“You are going to be sick.” Zelda admonished her when she returned with a smaller plate of food.

“Highly unlikely,” Lilith replied with a mouthful of something.

Zelda didn’t answer. Instead, she looked over at Lilith with an amused glint in her eyes.

“What?”

“You’ve got a bit of sauce, right there.” Zelda pointed at Lilith’s face. Lilith tried and failed to wipe the sticky substance away, missing completely.

“Honestly, you are like a child.” Zelda said as she reached over to wipe Lilith’s mouth with a napkin.

Lilith just shot her a toothy grin and continued to feast. 

Zelda took the opportunity to refill her drink. Hilda and Doctor Cee were making their rounds from table to table chatting with the guests and Zelda knew it would be time for her to make her speech soon. Try as she might, Zelda couldn’t enjoy her drink. The nerves of making a speech were settling in her stomach. She watched as Hilda hovered at the only table they hadn’t been at yet. She was holding out her hand proudly showing off her ring with Doctor Cee beaming at her side. As they started making their way back, Doctor Cee’s best man Liam made his way to the microphone. He enchanted the crowd, telling a heart-warming story about how Doctor Cee called him to tell him that he had ‘found the one’. All the while he glanced down at a piece of paper in his hands, and Zelda suddenly wished she had actually prepared a speech.

When the best man’s speech was done, Zelda grabbed her glass of champagne and walked over to Ambrose taking the microphone from him. Her mouth suddenly went dry, and her mind raced. She needed to match Liam’s speech, but instead, she just looked like a fool as silence settled over the guests. She met Lilith’s gaze from their table and she instantly gave Zelda a thumbs up and silently mouthed “ _you got this!_ ”

Zelda cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “I am beyond proud to be standing here at my little sister’s wedding. Although I do regret thinking I could speak from the heart, instead of preparing something.” The crowd giggled and Zelda found her nerves fading slightly. “The truth is that when I look at my sister and my new brother in law, the only thing in my heart is love. I love my sister, and I am honored to call her my best friend. And, as much as I loathed to admit it at first, I am rather fond of Lance too.” She looked at him and smiled. "I will never forget the day you rocked up at home, sweating bullets. You came to ask my permission for Hilda’s hand in marriage. I really enjoyed torturing you for a bit, but I knew my answer would be yes. I knew you were perfect for my Hildie from the moment you went on that first date. I’d never seen her so happy before.” Zelda paused watching as Hilda wiped a tear away. “I’ve never seen two people who fit so well into each other’s lives and it’s hard to imagine a time when you weren’t ‘Hilda and Doctor Cee’.” Hilda gave a teary laugh from the table. 

Zelda raised her champagne glass. “To Hilda and Lance!”

Everybody drank to that, and Zelda quickly made her way back to the table.

Hilda reached over the table to squeeze her hand.” That was beautiful, Zelds.” Her eyes were red and she was still gently dabbing the corners of her eyes trying not to ruin her makeup.

Zelda smiled at her and felt her eyes prickling again. She was relieved that _she_ didn’t tear up mid-speech. Now that would have been embarrassing.

Ambrose took the mic next and proceeded to read a short poem he’d written for Hilda and Doctor Cee. That brought even more tears to Hilda’s eyes and even Doctor Cee tried to inconspicuously wipe at his eyes when Ambrose said that he regarded him as a father figure. 

Then it was time for Hilda to toss her bouquet and all the women lined up behind her. It seemed that Hilda purposefully aimed the bouquet in Zelda and Lilith’s direction, but it was Rosalind who managed to catch the bunch of roses. She ran over to Harvey who blushed profusely and seemed extremely uncomfortable with the situation. By the time Hilda and Doctor Cee cut the cake the sun had began to set and the fairy lights were twinkling. Doctor Cee sweetly fed her a piece, while Hilda proceeded to smear icing all over his face.

Once the dessert was consumed Ambrose announced that the dance floor was officially open. Melvin played some hit number to get the dancing started. Sabrina and her friends particularly seemed to like the song. Zelda was definitely not going to dance on that. Pop hit after pop hit played and Zelda and Lilith sat comfortably at their table enjoying their drinks. They didn’t talk much, with the music being so loud and eventually, Lilith made her way over to the other side of the tent to refill their drinks again, leaving Zelda alone at their table. She was lost in thought watching as the guests were letting loose. Suddenly she felt a hand on her arm. It was Doctor Cee’s brother, Sebastian.

“Care to dance?” He asked in a low voice.

“No thank you,” Zelda answered politely.

“Oh come on.”

“No,” Zelda replied more forcefully shaking his hand off her arm. He reeked of wine.

“Don’t play hard to get. One dance won’t hurt.”

“The lady said no.” Lilith appeared behind him. Her eyes were dark as she placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him away slightly. 

He went to say something but Lilith walked right up to him staring him squarely in the eyes, despite their slight height difference. “Do you not understand English?” Her voice was dangerously low.

Lilith turned away from him and extended a hand to Zelda. Zelda gratefully accepted and allowed herself to be led to the dance floor. Just as they got there the song changed. Zelda was relieved at first, but then inwardly cringed when she realized it was a slow song. She could hardly back down now. Sebastian was visibly fuming in his seat as he watched them.

Lilith turned them around so that Zelda didn’t have to face him and grabbed her by the waist gently. Gingerly Zelda rested her hands on Lilith’s shoulders as an acoustic guitar started playing.

“What an absolute pig.” She muttered darkly as they started to sway to the song. “I get that you look breathtaking tonight, but no is no.”

Zelda was taken aback. “Do you really think I look breathtaking?”

“Most definitely. Enchanting really.” Lilith admitted shyly. “Red really suits you.”

Zelda blushed and allowed Lilith to pull her closer towards her body.

The sweet voice of the singer filled the tent and Zelda felt her blush deepen as she registered the lyrics.

_“Wise men say only fools rush in...”_

Lilith was looking at her intently as the continued to sway slowly. Zelda barely noticed the rest of the guests dancing alongside them. All she saw was Lilith and the twinkling in her eyes as the fairy light reflected in them. 

_“Take my hand, take my whole life too  
Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you” _

Suddenly the feeling of Lilith’s hands on her hips became too much. The warmth of her body pressed against hers, the smell of her perfume, her intense stare. It was overwhelming.

She leaned in to whisper in Lilith’s ear. “I think I need some fresh air.”

Lilith nodded and wordlessly led them out of the tent and into the cool night air. Zelda kept walking, keeping her eyes on the ground. She came to a stop close to where they had taken the wedding pictures hours before and sat down on a fallen tree trunk. Lilith hovered a few feet away, seeming unsure. Zelda still didn’t meet her gaze, instead, she looked up at the night sky, marveling at the full moon that hung above them. 

In all honesty, she wanted to be alone. Her mind was racing. She had fallen hard for Lilith and that scared her. She could no longer pretend that it was just a crush. She was so comfortable around her, and Lilith was so caring and sweet and perfect.

Wordlessly Lilith sat down beside her. The silence edged on and all that could be heard was crickets chirping softly and the music playing in the distance.

Finally, Lilith broke the silence.

“We need to talk.”

Zelda looked over at her. Her face was different then it had ever been before. 

“As I said before, I haven’t been entirely honest with you.” She paused struggling to find the right words.

Zelda’s heart hammered in her chest and her chest ached with a mixture of fear and excitement. She wasn’t ready to hear this.

“When we started this guise I couldn’t wait for it to be over, but now I don’t want it to end. I don’t know how you feel, how much of these last couple of days have been acting. But I need to know Zelda, before I get in this too deep.”

Zelda dropped her gaze again. “Lilith…”

Lilith gently took her hand. “Don’t overthink this. Just be honest with me. And with yourself.”

Zelda bit her lip and met Lilith’s eyes once more. Her eyes were hopeful, but the fear of rejection crept onto her face. Zelda took a steadying breath trying to ignore the swarm of butterflies that threatened to escape out of her body. 

She glanced down at Lilith’s lips and could resist the urge no longer. She placed her free hand on the side of Lilith’s face, gently cupping her cheek. She pulled her closer and placed an open mouthed kiss on Lilith’s lips. Lilith’s body practically melted into hers as she reached to snake a gentle hand into Zelda’s hair pulling her even closer. Zelda darted her tongue out over Lilith’s lips and Lilith immediately granted her access. She tasted faintly of the vanilla cake they had earlier mixed with a hint of whiskey. The kiss deepened and Zelda marveled at how perfectly their lips moved together. 

A moan slipped out between them and Zelda was shocked to realize it came from her. _What the hell was she doing?_ She froze and pulled back.

Lilith sensed something was wrong. “What-“

Zelda jumped up from the tree trunk and nearly fell over a branch in her haste to get away.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this.”

Lilith got up as well and tried to move closer to Zelda.

“No please." Zelda held up her hands. "I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”

And with that Zelda sped away, trying to ignore the look of utter anguish etched onto Lilith's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah don't hate me!! (Also the version of "Can't Help Falling in Love" is the one by Kina Grannis in case you were wondering)


	12. XII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, guys sorry for breaking all the hearts in the previous chapter!! I wish I could say that I'll unbreak them all in this one...but we're not quite there yet.

When Monday morning rolled around it took everything in Zelda not to call in sick. Hell, she was resisting the urge to give a one minute notice and never set foot near the precinct again, but she knew that wasn’t rational thinking. She had to go to work. It was the responsible thing to do. So she forced herself out of bed and got dressed trying very hard not to think about what the day would hold.

When she entered the kitchen reality hit her like ton of bricks. The kitchen was dark and cold and silent. The only thing that filled the kitchen was Hilda’s absence. No one was behind the stove to cheerily try and strike a conversation with her, or to irritate her by knocking pans or plates. After Hilda and Doctor Cee left late Sunday morning for their honeymoon it was easy to pretend that Hilda was just away at work and that she would be back soon. Of course, Zelda knew that wasn’t the case, but it was like her brain just couldn’t comprehend it. By the time dinner time came and passed Zelda still chose not to dwell on the fact that she was alone. Instead, she popped a microwave meal in the oven and ate in solitude. The meal was too hot and bland and Zelda didn’t even finish it. Oh, how she wished she appreciated Hilda’s cooking more.

Now again Zelda would have to fend for herself. It wasn’t that she was incapable, but she had just gotten so used to a hot cup of coffee waiting for her, and someone who boiled her eggs _just_ right. With a sigh, she sat down with a cup of coffee and two slices off buttered toast. Her hand instinctively reached out for her newspapers, but she was only met with the cool wood off the kitchen table. Of course, they would not be there. Hilda was always the one who collected them from outside where they were delivered in the early morning hours. 

Zelda dropped her face into her hands and took a deep breath. She would get used to living without Hilda. She just had to. The same way she would have to get used to living without Lilith’s presence in her life too.

_Lilith._

Thoughts of Saturday night flooded her mind. After Zelda fled from Lilith in the garden, she locked herself in the downstairs bathroom. Waves of anxiety rolled off her, and she tried to steady her breathing and keep her tears at bay. She was so foolish. Falling for Lilith! Kissing her! 

She had gripped the bathroom sink so tightly that her knuckles turned white. _“Pathetic.”_ She heard the voice in her head say. _“Weak. Shellfish”_ She heard footsteps on the stairs and the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut. Zelda burst out of the bathroom and ran to the front door, but she was too late. She heard the squealing of tires as Lilith sped away, and she just managed to catch a glimpse of her taillights in the distance.

Zelda was in no state to rejoin the party. Instead, she sidestepped all the cheerful guests walked over to where Hilda was sitting and told her that Lilith had to leave for a work emergency and that she was going to call it a night. Hilda raised her eyebrows, but thankfully she was tipsy enough not to question it. Zelda snatched a bottle of champagne from a nearby ice bucket and retreated to her room. As suspected, Lilith’s overnight bags were gone from their spot next to her vanity. Zelda stripped down to her underwear, not even bothering to remove her makeup, and crawled into bed. The sheets still smelled faintly off Lilith’s perfume and Zelda resisted the urge to tear the sheets off. Instead, she finished half of the champagne straight out of the bottle in an attempt to numb her feelings. It worked well enough but Zelda still saw images of Lilith’s hurt face as she fell asleep. 

Sunday morning Zelda was determined to pretend as if nothing was wrong. She wanted to make the most of the few hours she still had with Sabrina and Ambrose before they left. They had breakfast as normal and Sabrina questioned Lilith’s absence, but Zelda brushed it off as best she could, explaining that Lilith was urgently called to work. Hilda gushed about the wedding and what a huge success it was and Zelda did her best to appear happy. After breakfast, they went to assist the people from the rental company who had come to collect the tents and all the other furniture and cutlery that they had hired for the wedding. 

Soon it was time for Sabrina to head back to college. Prudence and Ambrose offered to drop Sabrina and Caliban off in Riverdale and teary-eyed goodbyes were said. Sabrina promised she would visit for longer once the semester was over, but it did little to relieve the ache in Zelda’s chest. Once everyone left Zelda sat in the parlor gazing out in front of her and absently puffing on a cigarette. Doctor Cee had left to pack for the honeymoon and Hilda was upstairs doing the same. 

Zelda barely took note when Hilda entered the room with a tray of tea and biscuits. She placed the tray down on the coffee table and took a seat next to Zelda on the couch. 

“What’s up.” 

Zelda snapped out of her thoughts to find Hilda looking over at her with concern in her eyes. 

Zelda stubbed out her cigarette and accepted the cup of tea Hilda held out to her. “Nothing.” 

Hilda nervously twiddled with her hands in her lap. “I know you Zelds. I can tell something is off.” 

Hilda was always sensitive to Zelda’s moods. “I guess I’m just feeling a bit melancholic. My little sister isn’t so little after all. I’m going to miss you.” Zelda admitted trying to sound nonchalant. That was part of the truth in any case. 

“Zelda, you know I’m not going to abandon you. I’ll always be around.” 

Zelda hummed and took a sip off her tea. She could still feel Hilda’s eyes on her. 

"I know that’s not the only thing bothering you.” Hilda paused. “Lilith didn’t really have a work emergency did she?”

Zelda didn’t reply and Hilda took that as a confirmation. “Did you two have another fight?” 

Zelda didn’t know how to answer. She wanted advice but didn’t want to expose the lie she fought so hard to keep. 

“Talk to me, Zelds.” Hilda placed a reassuring hand on Zelda’s knee. 

“I…uh. We did have an argument yes.” Hilda nodded at her in encouragement. Zelda considered what to say next. She settled on something that would at least resemble the truth. 

“I feel like our relationship is moving too fast. We haven’t really known each other for that long, but yet… I care deeply for her.

Hilda’s brows knotted in confusion. “But certainly that’s a good thing. Being in love is a wonderful thing.” 

“Yes, but realistically one does not fall in love in a we- I mean a couple of weeks.” Zelda quickly corrected herself. 

“Everyone is different Zelda! We do things at our own pace. I understand that this might feel like a lot to handle after _him_ but from what I see Lilith is nothing like him.” 

At that Zelda got up to light another cigarette, and started to pace in front of the unlit fireplace. She hadn’t thought of that. Could her failed marriage be attributing to her feelings? 

As if Hilda read her mind she asked. “What are you feeling Zelda? Since you’re so set on being rational let's dissect your emotions one by one.” 

Zelda crossed her arms defensively and halted her pacing. 

She took a shaky drag of her cigarette and cast her eyes downwards. “I’m…scared.” 

“Why?” Hilda enquired softly. 

“I’m not sure. I suppose I’m afraid of being hurt again. Being vulnerable, trusting someone again. I don’t know if I can do it.” Zelda’s voice broke towards the end and she hastily cleared her throat and started pacing again. 

“And have you told Lilith any of this?” Zelda shook her head. 

“Keeping her in the dark will only make things worse.” Hilda sighed. “Communication is the foundation to any relationship. Sit her down and tell her what you told me. And I know it’s still early on, but maybe you should tell her about Faustus too.” 

“She knows I’m divorced.” 

“But I bet she doesn’t know why.” 

She doesn’t need to.” Zelda snapped. That chapter of her life was closed for good and she saw no use in revisiting it. 

“Zelda, you need to be honest with her. From what I can see she really cares for you too, and your past won’t scare her away. Once she understands that you’re scared of being hurt you guys can figure out a pace that’s comfortable for you both.” 

_If only it were that simple!_ Zelda wanted to shout. _We’re not even in a real relationship._

A car hooted outside saving Zelda from having to answer Hilda. 

“That’s probably Doctor Cee.” Hilda got up and squeezed Zelda’s shoulder. “Please talk to her and consider telling her everything. The sooner the better.” 

Hilda left soon after that to her unknown honeymoon destination. Later that evening after Zelda’s disappointing microwave meal she scrolled through her phone until she reached Lilith’s contact. She quickly composed a message. 

_“I’m so sorry about my behavior last night. It was inexcusable. Please can we talk about it?”_

She pressed send quickly before she lost her nerve. Zelda kept checking her phone, anxious to get a response from Lilith. Eventually, the two ticks next to the message turned blue, indicating Lilith had read it, but she never responded. 

* * *

Zelda pulled herself from her reverie. She so badly wanted to make things right with Lilith, but when she checked her phone this morning there was still no response from her. That wasn’t a good sign. Had Zelda messed things up to such an extent that Lilith would never speak to her again? Tears prickled in her eyes for what felt like the hundredths time but she blinked them away. She would not cry over this. She ate her unappetizing breakfast in silence before hopping into the car, grabbing her newspapers on the way out. 

Zelda felt a wave of nausea hit her as she entered the police building. Everything in her body was screaming at her to turn around and go back home. She powered through though and marched to Lilith’s desk, which to her disappointment was vacant. A sense of déjà vu went through her and she shivered. 

"Good morning Miss. Spellman.” One of the older officers greeted her, causing her to jump. “Detective Morningstar isn’t coming in today, but she did ask me to give you this.” He passed her a stack of documents which she recognized to be the Conner case files. “She said you might like to read it.” 

Zelda tried to keep her voice neutral. “When is she coming back?” 

The officer shrugged his shoulders. “She didn’t say.” 

“Is she sick?” Zelda pressed. 

“I’m sorry but I don’t know.” 

Zelda thanked him and went to her office. She flipped through the case file. The first couple of pages contained information she already knew, and then suddenly there were mug shots of Connor’s father. Zelda was confused, but the next page explained everything. It was a written confession were in Mr. Kemper admitted that he was the one who had stabbed Connor. He had found drugs in Connor’s room and confronted him. They argued and Conner fled to the park. Mr. Kemper followed him with one of the kitchen knives and stabbed him to death. 

Next was Lilith’s report. When she went to visit the Kemper’s the previous week she noticed Mr. Kemper seemed to be acting strangely. He was nervous and he couldn’t give a solid alibi for his whereabouts the evening Connor died. Lilith brought him to the station for further questioning and he crumbled pretty quickly. He said he couldn’t bear to tell his wife about the disappointment that their son had become. In the same breath, he claimed that it was an accident. He just wanted to scare Conner with the knife, but they struggled and the first wound was accidental. He panicked of course and decided to make it look like a robbery and took his cash, before stabbing him some more. 

Zelda closed the case files with a heavy sigh. It seemed that no one could be trusted. At least Lilith had caught the perpetrator even though it was bittersweet. 

Thinking of Lilith brought another ache to Zelda’s chest. Why hadn’t she answered her message? She pulled her phone out and dialed Lilith’s number. It rang and rang and eventually went to voicemail. Was Lilith sick or just avoiding her? Zelda left a voicemail urging Lilith to contact her as soon as she could. 

The rest of the day dragged. She called Lilith a couple of times more but still received no answer. She reread the case files and read her newspapers from top to bottom. She didn’t eat lunch, because she forgot to make something. Hilda used to make a packed lunch for her every morning. Zelda resorted to pacing the length of the basement and then alleyway as she worked herself through a whole packet of cigarettes. 

Eventually, her day came to an end, and she sneaked out of the station, not even bothering to say goodbye to anyone. 

As Zelda was unlocking the front door she heard her phone ping. She rushed inside, praying that Lilith had finally decided to answer her. She tossed her bag down and immediately unlocked her phone. 

Her heart sank. It wasn’t Lilith. It was Harvey Kinkle. 

_“Hi Ms. Spellman. I’ve been editing the wedding photos for most of the day and found these ones.”_

Three little dots had formed under his name, indicating he was typing again. Her phone made a swooping noise as he sent the next message. 

_“Hope you like them!”_

Below that were five pictures of Zelda and Lilith. The first three were of them posing by the edge of the forest. They were nice, but they were nothing compared to the next two. It was of them when they were slow dancing. Zelda hadn’t even noticed Harvey was still snapping pictures at that time, but she was glad he did. Lilith’s hands were on Zelda’s hips, Zelda’s arms around her neck and the rest of the guest were faded into the background. They were gazing at each other…lovingly. There was no other word for it. Zelda hadn’t recognized the look Lilith gave her in the moment, but now it couldn’t be any clearer. 

Zelda locked her phone immediately not even bothering to type a response and slipped it back into her pants pocket. There was no use looking at those pictures. Whatever there was between them, real or fake, was over now. Lilith didn’t want to talk to her and Zelda couldn’t force her. 

Zelda stood in the foyer for a few minutes, unsure of what to do. Realistically she knew she should get started on dinner. Either that or face another microwave meal. She walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge and closed it again. She couldn’t be bothered to cook. She wondered around the house, hoping something would catch her eye. She needed to keep her mind busy. She couldn’t afford to get drunk on a weekday again, and it was way too early to go to bed. 

Zelda spotted a basket of laundry. The items smelled clean so she assumed Hilda must have washed them last week, but didn’t get around to folding them. 

_Well, it’s my duty now_ Zelda thought as pulled the basket closer and started sorting the clothes into piles. It was mindless work and Zelda’s mind wondered back to Lilith. What was she doing? Did Lilith hate her now? It wasn’t until she reached the last item in the basket that Zelda actually focused on what was in her hands. The item didn’t belong in her or Hilda’s pile. It was Lilith’s blouse. She sat with the blouse in her hands staring at it until it turned blurry. She hadn’t even realized she was crying until a tear dropped onto the blouse, creating a dark spot on the material. She wiped at her eyes furiously. She pulled her phone out to look at the photos again. The tears came faster now and Zelda dropped her phone hiding her face in her hands as she sobbed. She allowed the sobs to rack her body, finally letting all the pent up emotion out. She cried and cried. She cried for her sister, but mostly she cried for Lilith. After a while, her sobs subsided and she unceremoniously wiped her face on a nearby sock. 

She had to fix things. 

She grabbed her phone and Lilith’s blouse and ran to her car. As she reached the main road, she realized she had a problem: She had no idea where Lilith lived. Biting her lip Zelda drove aimlessly down the streets, with no clear indication of where she was supposed to go. She ended up in front of Doctor Cee’s shop. She was surprised that it was even open, but then she faintly remembered Hilda saying something about Melvin and Elspeth running it in their absence. 

She checked her reflection in the review mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, but it would just have to do. She got out of the car and went inside, hoping to find someone there that she could ask. As luck would have it, young Nicholas Scratch was sitting at one of the booths enjoying a basket of French fries. 

“Evening Mr. Scratch. Sorry to bother you outside of working hours, but do you happen to know detective Lilith’s address.” 

Nicholas looked up from his fries surprise evident on his face. 

“Oh. No, I don’t why?” 

“It’s quite urgent. Please are you sure you don’t know?” Zelda fought to keep the desperation out of her voice. 

"I know it’s the apartment building behind the cinema. But I don’t know which number. Or which floor.” 

That would just have to do. She thanked him and was just about to leave when a waitress brought a strawberry milkshake over to the table. That gave Zelda an idea. “Can I please have two regular strawberry milkshakes to go please?” 

A couple of minutes later Zelda stood outside the apartment building Nicholas described with the milkshakes in one hand and Lilith’s blouse in the other. It wasn’t a very big building which was a blessing because Zelda was planning to knock on every door until she found Lilith. 

The first door she knocked on housed a grumpy middle-aged man who slammed the door in her face. The next tenant that opened the door said she didn’t know any Lilith, and Zelda began to worry that this wasn’t the right place after all. 

The third door opened after a long while and revealed an elderly lady. “Oh, you mean that lovely detective lady?” She spoke loudly and Zelda suspected she had a loss of hearing. “She’s so sweet. She always helps me to carry my groceries. She lives right at the top to your left. It’s the last door, you can’t miss it.” 

Zelda thanked the woman profusely and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When she reached the last door she hesitated. What if Lilith didn’t open, or even worse what if she slammed the door closed in Zelda’s face. She suddenly second guessed buying the milkshakes. She hoped Lilith would see it as a peace offering, but now she wasn’t so sure. 

_You won’t know if you don’t try, Spellman_

And with that Zelda raised her hand and knocked on the door. 


	13. XIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Emotional abuse, physical abuse, non-consensual sex, and anxiety attack. I only mention the 1st three and I don't go into much detail.

Seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity. Zelda strained her ears to see if she could make out any movement from inside the apartment, but the only thing she could hear was her heart beating frantically in her ears. Perhaps Lilith wasn’t home after all. She was just about to knock again when she heard the door being unlocked from the inside. The door opened slightly, restricted by a sliding lock that was still hooked, preventing it from opening all the way.

Zelda half expected Lilith to shut the door immediately or to tell her to leave, but instead, Lilith just looked at her through the small gap in the door. Her face was blank as she stared into Zelda’s eyes. Zelda’s mouth was suddenly dry and she swallowed nervously.

“Lilith…”

“Oh, it speaks. Have you come here to kiss me and run away again?” There was no bite behind the words as Zelda had anticipated. Her voice was flat. It was unnerving and Zelda almost wished she would scream at her.

“I know you’re upset and you have every right to be.”

Lilith didn’t respond. She glanced down at the items in Zelda’s hands and then back up to meet her eyes.

“Please allow me to explain. If you never want to speak to me again after you’ve heard what I have to say, I will respect your wishes and leave.” Zelda hated how desperate she sounded.

Without warning the door closed and Zelda’s heart sank. She stood frozen contemplating whether she should leave or knock again when she heard the latch being removed and the door opening.

“Come in then.” Lilith opened the door all the way.

Zelda hurried passed Lilith and entered the apartment. She found herself in a small opened planed space. The kitchen was to the left with a breakfast nook and barstools separating it from the living area to the right. The living area contained a grey L-shaped couch, a coffee table and a plasma stand with a flat-screen TV on top. On the far wall next to the window was a bookcase full of books and other bits and bobs as well as a glass door that Zelda suspected led to a balcony of some sort. The room was dimly lit, with a lamp on the bookshelf providing the only source of light. It seemed very cozy, which surprised Zelda.

Lilith closed the door and watched Zelda as she stood close to the kitchen side, unsure of where to go. She walked over to the couch and gestured for Zelda to take a seat. She placed the takeaway holder on the coffee table and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

Lilith pulled her legs up under her and rubbed at her eyes. For the first time, Zelda noticed how tired she looked. She was wearing a loose t-shirt and jogger pants and her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. Perhaps she was sick after all. There was a beat of silence which Zelda decided to break by pointing out the obvious. “I brought you a strawberry milkshake. As a peace offering.”

“You know, I really want to ignore you, or better yet shout at you, but I just don’t have the strength. I’m tired of whatever game this is and if you’ve come here to fuck with me any further I suggest you just leave.”

A sudden coldness went through Zelda and settled heavy in her stomach. Did Lilith really think she was messing with her on purpose? “I have done a lot of thinking,” Zelda began softly, fidgeting with the blouse that was still in her hands. “First off I want to apologize. Literally running away from you Saturday night was inexcusable and I can’t imagine how that must have hurt and confused you.”

Lilith’s face still remained impassive.

“It was never my intention to hurt you or play games with you.”

“Then _what_ is it you’re doing, Zelda? Either you want more from this or you don’t. Just make up your mind so I can go on with my life.”

“I…I’m.” Zelda dropped her gaze and sighed. Why was it so hard for her to just voice her feelings? She wished she was like Hilda who could just sprout things from her mouth without a care in the world. Hilda’s previous advice came floating back to her. _“Communication is the foundation to any relationship. Sit her down and tell her what you told me…”_ She glanced up to see Lilith waiting expectantly with her eyebrows raised.

The seconds ticked by and Zelda could see that Lilith was losing her patience.

“It isn’t rocket science, Zelda.” Lilith’s angry tone surprised her “I have made it clear that I have fallen in love with you! What more do you want?”

The sudden urge to cry overcame Zelda. She wanted to believe Lilith. “It’s not that simple.”

Lilith jumped off the couch and stalked over to the kitchen area rubbing roughly at her neck in frustration. She paced over to the fridge before turning sharply on her heels. Zelda sat frozen watching as Lilith struggled with her words. “I think you’d better leave.” Lilith spat, her words dripping with disgust. She marched over to the balcony door and threw it open before disappearing into the night.

The moment Lilith disappeared from her sight Zelda’s shoulders slumped. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and she pressed her palms forcefully into them in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. She would not cry. And she would not leave. It was time to be honest with Lilith, no matter how much it scared her. She removed her now wet palms from her face and wiped them on her jeans before slumping backward on the couch and looking in the direction of the balcony. She couldn’t see Lilith and decided to give her a few more minutes to cool off. She got her breathing under control and watched the condensation roll of the now rapidly melting milkshakes as she tried to get her thoughts in order.

After a couple of minutes, Lilith still hadn’t returned from outside and Zelda reluctantly pushed herself up and made her way to the balcony.

At first, she didn’t see Lilith until a sound alerted her to her position. Lilith was sitting on the floor, with her back against the wall gazing out into the night. She didn’t seem to notice Zelda’s presence at first, but as Zelda lowered herself on to the floor next to her, Lilith frustratedly wiped at her face.

“Why are you still here? She demanded not meeting Zelda’s gaze.

“You told me not to overthink this, and to be honest. It’s hard for me but I’m going to try. I need to do this, for both of our sakes.”

She chanced a glance at Lilith and found her regarding her with narrowed eyes. Zelda knew this was her last chance. She inhaled deeply through her nose in a desperate attempt to calm her racing pulse. This was it.

“I am very much in love with you too Lilith and that terrifies me. I never intended for this to happen, but here we are…”

Lilith's eyes softened a bit and her shoulders visibly relaxed against the wall. “Why do you sound so upset by it?” She asked uncertainly. “I get that neither of us planned this. I certainly didn’t bargain on developing real feelings for you either, especially in such a short amount of time.”

Zelda decided to ignore the question. “When did you realize you felt something for me?”

Lilith seemed to know that Zelda was stalling, but answered her none the less. “Pretty much from the get-go, I thought you were physically attractive. I will never forget your first day on the job. Your hair, your smile, the way you carried yourself...you were frustratingly beautiful and I felt caught in some sort of a glow.” Lilith paused for a moment and looked out at the skyline again, remembering the first time she laid eyes on Zelda. “But I realized I was in more imminent trouble the day I took you took the shooting range. It started to become more than just a physical attraction to me then.” Lilith met her gaze once again and offered her a shy smile.

Zelda couldn’t help but smile back at her.”It happened around the same time for me too, but it took me longer to accept that it wasn’t just a crush. I came to terms with the fact that I had a physical attraction towards you, but I was still battling to understand if it was more than that. It was hard. I couldn’t open up to anyone about it, especially not you because I thought you were just playing your part well. And Hilda was still under the impression that we were _together together_...and then Marie came and that was a mess..”

Lilith’s smile disappeared. “I still feel so guilty about those things I said to you. I never meant a single thing.”

“I know, and I understand now why you reacted in such an extreme way. Seeing me in such a state being consoled by another woman…”

Lilith nodded solemnly. “I thought you regretted asking me to be your date. I was convinced you and Marie had something going on.” Lilith shook her head in disbelief. “I was beyond jealous.”

“I wish I knew that then, so we could’ve cleared the air.”

Lilith let out a breathy chuckle. “We’re both hopeless.” 

There was a moment of silence as both of them were lost in thought. The wind was picking up and Zelda suppressed a shudder. 

Lilith spoke up again. “So, what now?”

“I don’t know.”

“I think it’s simple really. Would you like what we’ve had to be real?” 

“Yes, but…” Again Hilda’s words echoed through her mind. _“...maybe you should tell her about Faustus too...the sooner the better.”_ She did promise to be honest.

“I’m scared to really be with you and let my walls down. To be vulnerable.” Zelda dropped her gaze and whispered, ”I’m scared you’ll hurt me.” 

Confusion clouded Lilith’s face for a second before Zelda’s words sunk in. “I would never hurt you.” She said seriously.

Zelda’s eyes stung as the familiar prickling sensation started. She blinked her eyes, desperately trying to keep the tears at bay.

Lilith scooted closer and gently reached out to take one of Zelda’s hands in hers.

“If someone has hurt you in the past…Zelda, I just want you to know I would never....”

“I want to believe you, but a part of me will always wonder if I’m making another mistake. I’m damaged goods.” Despite Zelda’s effort, a lone tear made it’s way down her cheek. 

Lilith started to reach out towards Zelda but thought better of it. Her mind was reeling. She gathered that Zelda’s ex was no good, but she never imagined that he abused her. She racked her mind for any signs. Sure, Zelda tensed up whenever Lilith touched her during their act, but she thought it was just because she was a stranger.

“Zelda I’m so sorry. If I knew I would never have…” Lilith sighed heavily knowing that nothing she said would relieve Zelda’s pain. “You are not damaged goods, no matter what anyone told you. I would never lay a hand on you.”

Zelda kept her eyes glued on their entwined hands as she spoke, too ashamed to look up. “It wasn’t so much physical abuse. He used to manipulate me, shame me in public. Make me feel worthless. The signs were there from the start, but I convinced myself it would get better once we were married.”

Lilith listened intently and continued to soothingly rub Zelda’s hand.

“It only got worse as time went on. The verbal aggression only escalated, but still, I excused it. He was under a lot of stress at work and I so badly wanted to please him. We weren’t even married for a month when I decided I was going to leave. I was planning it all out in my head. You see, he had two young children from a previous marriage who I cared deeply for. Their mother had died, and I couldn’t bear to leave them behind with him.” Zelda took a shaky breath. “So I stayed for months, trying to figure out a way that I could get custody over them. Then one night he came home in a foul mood. There was shouting and name-calling as usual which I tried my best to ignore. I put the twins to bed early, wanting to get them away from the situation. When I returned to our room he- he hit me for the first time.”

Lilith’s heart broke as she watched Zelda desperately try and keep her composure, wiping each stray tear as soon as they broke free. She badly wanted to console her when Zelda spoke up again.

“Then he uh, he... I guess you could say he forced himself on me. I said no, but he insisted that it was my _duty_.” Zelda’s voice broke and her bottom lip started to tremble. “I wanted to scream at him to stop, but I didn’t want to upset the children. So I just laid there and let it happen.” 

The sob Zelda had been holding back ripped through her body. She hid her face in her hands as the tears streamed out of her eyes. Lilith watched on in horror, not knowing what to do. Ignoring her own tears that silently streamed down her face she slowly touched Zelda’s shoulder and gently pulled her into her chest. Zelda came willingly and buried her face in Lilith’s neck as she continued to sob.

Lilith held her in silence and gently rocked them back and forth. She could feel Zelda’s tears soak through her T-shirt and she started rubbing soothing circles on her back. Zelda continued to wail and Lilith suddenly worried that she wasn’t getting enough air. She pulled back slightly.

“Zelda look at me.”

Zelda’s eyes snapped up, but they were glassed over. Her breaths were coming fast and shallow in between each sob.

“Zelda, please you need to breathe!” 

Zelda started gasping. It was like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air. She could see Lilith’s lips moving but her voice sounded far away. Blood was pounding in her ears. She could feel her body shaking and she registered the overwhelming urge to be sick.

Lilith placed one of her hands on Zelda’s cheek and the other gently took hold of both of Zelda’s hands guiding them to rest on Lilith’s chest

“Zelda, I need you to focus on my breathing. Feel the rise and fall of my chest. Can you feel that?”

Zelda nodded quickly.

“Now match my breathing. In..and out.”

Zelda desperately tried to slow her breathing down, but she couldn’t. Her eyes went wide.

“It’s ok. I’m right here. You’re safe with me.” Lilith fought to keep her own panic from showing. “Just breathe.”

Zelda focused all her attention on the feeling of her hands rising and falling on Lilith’s chest. Lilith continued to softly assure Zelda that no harm would come to her so long as she breathed. Eventually, Zelda could feel her breathing return to normal. She closed her eyes and took deep and even breathes with Lilith until her heart rate was under control.

Zelda opened her eyes to find Lilith watching her intently, worry clouding her features. She removed her hands from Lilith’s chest and wiped at her face.

“Thank you.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “May I use your bathroom?”

“Of course,” Lilith jumped to her feet and extended a hand to Zelda. Zelda got up on shaky legs and swayed slightly. 

Lilith caught her and held her upright. “Are you okay?”

Zelda nodded. “I’m just a bit dizzy.”

Lilith led her to the small bathroom down the hall. As soon as the door closed behind her Zelda sat down on the edge of the bath. She felt exhausted. She got up and turned on the sink tap, splashing cold water on her face. Her makeup was already ruined so she did her best to scrub the smudged mascara off her face, before wiping her face dry on a paper towel.

When she returned she found Lilith with her back to her in the kitchen, pouring hot water into two cups. When Zelda pulled out a barstool and sat down Lilith turned towards her.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Okay, I guess. I’m sorry about that.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Lilith handed her a cup of tea before grabbing her own cup and sitting opposite her at the counter. “Drink up, it’s Chamomile.”

Zelda took a sip and placed her cup down again. “I haven’t had an episode like that in a long time.” 

“I’m sorry. You don’t even have to tell me anything that you’re not comfortable with.”

Zelda nodded. “I needed you to know everything before you decided if you still wanted me.”

Lilith reached out for Zelda’s hand again. “Why would this change my mind? You are a strong woman, surviving for so long and having the courage to leave.”

“Hilda said so too. I packed my bags the next morning and went straight back to her. I don’t know if I would have had the strength to go through the divorce and custody hearings without her support.”

“Your sister loves you very much. You don’t have to answer, but what happened to the kids?”

Zelda sighed. “The judge wouldn’t grant me custody. They couldn’t find any signs that Faustus ever mistreated the twins. I got a restraining order against him and he left town soon after that.”

Zelda’s eyes teared up for what felt like the hundredths time.”I miss them so much. Especially the little girl.” Zelda gave Lilith a weak smile. “I’m just thankful he’s out of my life. I keep reminding myself that I got off easy. Some women suffer for years under much worse.”

“That doesn’t mean that what you went through wasn’t as bad.” Lilith’s blood was boiling. If she ever laid eyes on Faustus she was sure she would kill him.

“I like to pretend it wasn’t that bad. I went to a therapist a couple of times after everything, and she told me that comparing my trauma or trying to vanish it completely, was not a healthy coping method. I disagree.”

“Pretending you’re fine doesn’t mean you’re fine,” Lilith said seriously. “You need an outlet, even if it means just talking to Hilda.”

“Hilda knows better than to hammer on that subject.” Zelda dropped her gaze again and traced the marble patterns on the counter with her finger. “In fact, Hilda doesn’t even know all the details about the…the you know.”

 _“The rape”_ , Lilith thought but didn’t say aloud. Instead, she just nodded in understanding. “Well thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.” 

Zelda yawned and rubbed at her eyes.

“Come,” Lilith took her hand and led her to the couch again. Zelda sat much closer to Lilith this time, but still left a small gap between them. 

“Where are the milkshakes?” Zelda asked as she noticed they were not where she left them.

“They were completely melted so I put them in the freezer. I can go get them if you want?” Lilith was already moving to stand up.

Zelda placed her hand on Lilith’s thigh stopping her from getting up. “No, no it’s fine”

Lilith relaxed back onto the couch and placed her hand on top of Zelda’s.

“Listen, Zelda” She began softly. "Nothing that you say could make me change my mind about you. Everyone has a past, but if you’re willing to go into the future with me I promise to take things slow. We’ll do everything at your pace and I will respect any boundaries you set.”

“I’d like that," Zelda said as she took Lilith's hand in hers. "but please don’t treat me like I’m fragile. I will tell you if something upsets me.”

“So we’re really doing this?” Lilith couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice and Zelda had to smile.

“Yes, yes we are.”

Lilith grinned and slowly moved forward to place a lingering kiss on Zelda’s forehead.

Zelda scooted closer and allowed Lilith to put her arm around her hugging her close to her chest.

“It feels so good to hold you,” Lilith said with a content sigh. 

Zelda just hummed in response. It felt better than good. Soon she noticed her eyes closing on their own accord as her exhaustion overtook her. 

The last thing she recalled was Lilith whispering something in her ear before placing a soft kiss on her hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was heavy, but at least they're finally together!! (and it only took 13 chapters lol)


	14. XIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, this is pure fluff! Enjoy.

Zelda awoke to the feeling of soft sheets and the gentle touch of someone absently rubbing circles onto her forearm. Slowly she opened her eyes and let out a small yawn. Streaks of bright morning sun were trickling in through the blinds, casting the room in a soft glow. For a moment Zelda wondered where she was, when a familiar voice whispered close to her ear.

“Morning sleepyhead.”

Lilith was propped up against the headboard slightly, one arm around Zelda as she was snuggled up to her chest. She was lazily stroking circles on the exposed skin of Zelda’s arm that was thrown across her abdomen. 

Zelda lifted her head to meet Lilith’s eyes before plopping her head down on her chest again and mumbling a good morning in response. 

So last night wasn’t a dream after all, Zelda thought as the previous evening came rushing back to her. She laid everything bare, completely exposing herself, but still Lilith stayed. Or well technically Zelda stayed. She faintly remembered Lilith waking her up from the couch sometime in the early morning hours, before leading her to her bedroom and handing her a pair of pajamas. 

“Did you sleep well?”

Zelda hummed. “Too well. What time is it?”

“Just after nine.”

“Shit Lilith I’m late for work!” Zelda exclaimed as she shot up, nearly colliding with Lilith’s chin in the process.

Lilith sat up as well and placed a hand on Zelda’s shoulder causing her to pause from untangling herself from the duvet. “You’re not late because you’re not going in today.” She said simply.

Zelda raised her eyebrows.

Lilith reached over to the bedside table and retrieved Zelda’s phone, handing it to her. “You’re gonna call in sick. Just tell them that you must have contracted the same bug as me. It will be believable since half of the office knows we were together last weekend.”

Zelda looked at the phone in her hand. She was never one to shy away from her responsibilities...but it would be nice to have a day just to relax.

“Unless you don’t want to of course,” Lilith said breaking Zelda’s thoughts. “I just thought we could spend the day together since I’m only going back to work on Wednesday but if you rather want to-”

Zelda interrupted Lilith’s ramble as she unlocked her phone. “No. I want to spend the day with you.” 

Lilith’s face lit up again. “Good. Throw your head of the side of the bed, that way you’ll sound sicker.”

Zelda did as she was told and within two minutes she had called the precinct explaining her situation. She sat upright again and tossed her phone down on the bed.

“Naughty girl,” Lilith said mischievously. 

“You’re one to speak. You’re the bad influence.”

Lilith stuck her tongue out at Zelda. “So what do you want to do now?”

“I guess we could stay in bed for a little while longer.”

Lilith scooted lower on to the bed and opened her arms into which Zelda happily fell back into. Zelda rested her head in the crook of Lilith’s neck and allowed Lilith to wrap her arm around her back, pulling her closer. The laid in silence for a while until Lilith spoke up.

“This is nice,” She mumbled shyly.

Zelda’s only response was to snuggle closer to Lilith before placing a soft kiss on her neck. She could feel that Lilith was a bit tense, most likely worried if this was okay. In an attempt to assure Lilith, Zelda sought out the stripe of flesh that was exposed where Lilith’s pajama shirt hard shifted up. Shyly at first, she let her finger trail over Lilith’s thaught tummy until she felt her relax.

Lilith kissed Zelda’s temple and that gave her a boost of confidence as her hand reached higher under Lilith’s top. Lilith’s breathing increased as Zelda’s fingers trailed over her ribcage, and she continued to pepper soft kisses on the side of Zelda’s face.

“Zelda,” she breathed “we don’t have to do this.”

Zelda stilled her hand and lifted her head to meet Lilith’s gaze. “I’m not doing anything,” Zelda whispered innocently. She splayed her hand out, her finger inches away from their destination. She studied Lilith’s face, silently asking for permission before inching upwards and planting a soft kiss on her lips. She pulled back to find Lilith eyeing her curiously through lust-filled eyes.

“What?”

“I’m just making sure you’re not going to run out on me again.”

“Never.”

And at that Lilith surged forward, capturing Zelda’s lips with her own. The kiss quickly grew heated and Lilith pulled Zelda on top of her. Zelda’s hand finally reached its destination as she lightly grazed her nails over Liliths’s breast before pinching her nipple lightly. Lilith moaned into her mouth and snaked a hand into Zelda’s hair. 

Zelda resisted the urge to grind herself against Lilith as she straddled her. Eventually, they had to break for air. Zelda rested her forehead against Lilith’s as they both tried to catch their breath.

Suddenly a loud rumble emanated from Zelda’s stomach and she blushed. She captured Llilith’s lips once more when her stomach rumbled again, louder this time.

She could feel Lilith’s smile as she mumbled against her lips.“Oh dear, it sounds like someone’s hungry.”

Zelda hummed. She was hungry in more ways than one. Her hand was still caressing Lilith’s breast until Lilith reached for her wrist and gently pulled her hand away.

“As much as I am enjoying this I think we’d better get you fed.”

Zelda sighed and sat up straight on Lilith trying to hide her disappointment. Lilith was right, she was starving, having only eaten two slices of toast in the last 24 hours.

Lilith reached to trace a finger across Zelda’s cheek and over her swollen lips. “Don’t look at me like that. We have the whole day together remember.”

Zelda nodded but made no move to get of Lilith. Instead, she leaned forward to kiss Lilith again.

In one swift motion, Lilith flipped them over pinning Zelda to the mattress. She brought her lips close to Zelda’s. “You are impossible” She whispered before planting one last kiss on her lips and hopping off the bed. “I’m just going to freshen up. Meet you in the kitchen.”

Zelda huffed and watched as Lilith sauntered out of the room before grabbing her phone again to see if she had any updates from Hilda. She did have a missed call and a text message in which Hilda gushed about how fantastic the honeymoon was, as well as including a selfie of her and Doctor Cee. Zelda smiled and typed a quick response promising to call her sister later that evening. She also opened the chat with Harvey that she never responded to and quickly typed him a thank you before saving the photos on her phone. She couldn’t wait to show them to Lilith.

She waited a while longer to make sure Lilith was done in the bathroom before she went to freshen up as well. When she exited the bathroom the smell of pancakes was in the air and her stomach growled again. She followed the smell to its origin and entered the kitchen just in time to see Lilith flipping a pancake. 

“Wow, I’m impressed,” Zelda said as she went to lean against the counter next to the fridge watching as Lilith expertly slipped the pancake onto a plate before pouring more batter into the pan.

Lilith shrugged. “I can’t guarantee that they taste good.” She said pointing towards the box mix. “I have no idea how old that was.”

Zelda looked over to where Lilith was pointing. She was definitely a more messy cook that Zelda was used too, with flour and eggshells scattered all over the counter. She picked up the box and inspected the best before date.

“It’s still in date,” Zelda said as she tossed the eggshells into the empty box before putting in the bin. “Is there anything I can help you with?” 

“Would you mind taking over here quickly?”

Zelda took the spatula from Lilith and watched as she opened the fridge and removed the now solid frozen milkshakes from the day before from the freezer. She ran the cups under the tap briefly before depositing the contents in the blender and adding a dollop of milk.  
The blender whizzed loudly and Lilith placed two plates and glasses on the table as well as some maple syrup. When the blender slowed down Lilith poured the milkshake into the two glasses, adding a metal straw into each. 

“Ta-da. Good as new!” She said sounding very pleased with herself.

Zelda wasn’t entirely sold. “Milkshakes for breakfast?”

Soon they worked through the remaining batter and Lilith plated the pancakes before drizzling an unhealthy amount of syrup over hers.

“Well it’s not bad,” Lilith said around a mouthful of pancake “but it’s not as good as your sister’s.”

Zelda couldn’t care less about the taste as she shoveled bite after bite of pancake into her mouth, taking sips of milkshake in between. For once she and Lilith finished eating at the same time.

“That was lovely, Lilith. Thank you.”

Lilith just smiled as she slurped at the last drops of her milkshake through her straw, noisily sucking up air. 

The urge to smoke surfaced as it always did after a good meal and Zelda thought back to her handbag that she left at home the previous night. Purse, smokes, the whole lot. Thank goodness she wasn’t pulled over without a driver’s license. 

Lilith stood to collect the dishes. “Penny for your thoughts?” 

“Oh, I was just thinking about how I wanted to smoke.” 

“You’re more than welcome to smoke on the balcony.”

“Yeah, the problem is I left my handbag at home so I don’t actually have any.”

“Say no more!” And with that Lilith disappeared into the passageway and reappeared a moment later with a robe tied around her waist. “Be right back,” She said as she opened the front door.

Zelda heard a knock and some muffled voices and laughter outside the front door. 

“Luckily my neighbor smokes, and she graciously gave me two cigarettes,” Lilith announced as she closed the door behind her. “We can go to the shop later to get you some more.”

Zelda accepted the cigarette and watched as Lilith rummaged in one of the drawers before handing her a lighter.

“You go smoke and I’ll make us some coffee.”

The world was quiet as Zelda lent against the railing on the balcony and lit her cigarette. People walked down the streets getting on with their day, and here and there a car drove by. Lilith actually had a pretty good view: She could see Baxter High in the distance and to the right, there were some shops. Further on she could make out houses and then an open field and eventually the forest.

Lilith walked up behind her handing her a cup of coffee. 

“You have a nice vantage point,” Zelda said as she accepted the cup and took a sip.

“I know. I love to stand out here sometimes and people watch.” They stood in silence for a while both enjoying their coffee. “By the way, how did you find me? I don’t remember giving you my address.”

“Oh. You didn’t. I drove around aimlessly for a while, hoping you’d appear out of thin air. I realized that wasn’t going to work, but luckily I bumped into Mr. Scratch. He said that this was your building.”

“But how did you know which door. Even he doesn’t know that.”

“I kind off started knocking on every door until an elderly lady told me you lived right on top.”

“So you’re a stalker huh?” Lilith teased, elbowing Zelda lightly in the side.

Zelda smiled. “I guess. Mostly I was just desperate.” Zelda looked down into her coffee. “I wasn’t even sure that you would open up after everything I put you through.”

“I didn’t want to at first. I looked at you through the peephole contemplating whether to send you on your merry way or not.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.” 

“So am I, Zelda. And you don’t have to feel bad. Sure you put me through a couple of days of insanity, but it was worth it.” 

Zelda looked over to find Lilith gazing at her again. The look she gave her reminded her off the wedding pictures. “Oh, there’s something I need to show you,” Zelda said as she stubbed her cigarette out in a nearby pot housing a long-dead plant.

Lilith flopped down on the couch as Zelda retrieved her phone from the kitchen and sat down next to her. She went to where she saved the photos, careful not to let Lilith see. She clicked on her favorite one of the two of them dancing and then held the phone close to her chest away from Llilith’s impatient eyes.

“If it wasn’t for these photos, I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to come over here last night.” She said.

“Come on then, show me.”

Zelda held the phone out to her and watched her reaction. Lilith’s face immediately softened as her eyes widened and her mouth formed a small “O”

“Oh, this is beautiful,” Lilith said as she took the phone from Zelda’s hands to inspect the photo up close.

“There’s a couple more.” Zelda leaned closer and swiped through the next couple of photos.

“I love them. Can you send them to me?”

Zelda nodded and took the phone to share the photos with Lilith’s contact. Somewhere in the bedroom, Lilith’s phone dinged and she jumped up to retrieve it. When she reentered the living room her eyes were glued to the phone screen as she slowly swiped through the pictures.

“Would you mind if I made one of them my wallpaper?” Lilith asked hopefully as she sat back down.

Zelda was taken aback. She didn’t expect that. She hesitated...that indicated a real commitment from Lilith’s side. That she was not afraid to show Zelda off to the world, or to whoever might pick up her phone. It was a nice feeling.

“Of course,” Zelda answered.

Lilith immediately went into her settings and made the change. “Look,” She said proudly as she pressed the lock button in order for the screen to light up. “What do you think?”

Lilith had edited the photo to be black and white, and Zelda had to admit it looked stunning. She ended up choosing her favorite picture of the two of them dancing and staring into each other’s eyes with the background blurred out.

“I love it,” Zelda said unable to stop the toothy grin that formed on her face.

Lilith placed her phone on the coffee table. “So what do you want to do now?”

Zelda shrugged “I guess we can just relax.” 

“I’d like that. We can always browse Netflix for a good movie?”

And that’s what they did. They cuddled up under a blanket and scrolled through the selection of films until they found something that interested them both. They watched about half of the film, neither of them actually focusing on what was happening on the screen. They kept stealing glances at one another until their eyes finally met. Zelda blushed when she was caught out, and looked at the TV again, just to find that Lilith had paused it. She turned around with a question on her lips but was silenced by Lilithls mouth on hers.

And so it went on for the remainder of the day. The kissed and cuddled and tried their best to watch a couple of movies. They only got up for the bathroom and for a late lunch, consisting of grilled cheese sandwiches.

Eventually, it became time for Zelda to go home. She didn’t want to, but she knew she had to work in the morning. Reluctantly she got dressed in her clothes of the previous evening and grabbed her phone and keys. 

Lilith, still in her pajamas was standing close to the door. Zelda paused for a moment, hidden in the passage. It was crazy to think about how much had changed in the last 24 hours. She walked into the living room and sighed. Lilith pulled Zelda in for a tight hug. “I don’t want you to go.” She whispered into Zelda’s hair.

“I don’t want to go either, but we’ll see each other tomorrow.”

Lilith nodded, cupping Zelda’s cheek and giving her one last lingering kiss. “Can I call you in a couple of minutes? Just to make sure you got home alright.”

“I’d like that.” Zelda swooped in again to kiss Lilith, unable to help herself.

Zelda pulled back and licked her lips. “If I don’t stop kissing you now, I’ll never make it out of here.”

“You could always stay.”

“Thank you for offering, but I need to shower and feed Salem.”

“Okay,” Lilith said dejectedly.

Zelda cupped her face again. “You can call me in about 15 minutes.”

Lilith nodded and opened the door for Zelda. Lilith stayed in the doorway and blew kisses at Zelda as she descended the stairs. Careful not to lose her footing, Zelda pretended to catch the kisses and deposit them down her shirt.

When Zelda was out of sight she heard Lilith’s door close. She rushed to her car, impatient to get home to hear Lilith’s voice again.

She knew she was acting like a lovesick teenager, but suddenly she couldn’t care less. It was the best feeling in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aahh how cute are they!? 😭


	15. XV

The elevator dinged and the familiar sound of stilettos echoed off the basement walls. Zelda smiled in anticipation as she got up from her desk and walked a few steps to meet Lilith in front of it. 

“Right on time.”

Lilith smirked and pulled Zelda in for a sweet kiss before replying. “I couldn’t wait a minute longer.”

The two of them had established quite a nice routine since they returned to work on Wednesday after their shared ‘illness’. For the past two days, they would both arrive at work around the same time and enjoy a cup of coffee together before the canteen got too crowded with the rest of their colleagues. Then they would go to their respective work stations and get on with their day. They wouldn’t seek each other out, but Lilith started a little game where she would send Zelda selfies of herself behind her desk with captions like “Pretending to work” and “Missing you”. Zelda’s personal favorite was one where Lilith was biting down on a pen looking mighty seductive with the caption “Wishing this pen was you”. That had Zelda blushing all the way till lunchtime.

Every day at one o’clock, Lilith would waltz down to the basement and collect Zelda for lunch. They would sit in a semi-secluded corner of the canteen snacking on their lunch and enjoying each other’s company. Although everyone in the precinct quickly figured out that something was going on between the two of them, they still kept their physical contact to a minimum. That was the captain’s orders after all. 

Thursday morning captain Marlin called both Zelda and Lilith into his office. He once again congratulated Lilith on solving the Kemper murder, and also thanked Zelda for her hard work. Apparently Lilith told him that Zelda was instrumental to the case. He went one step further and surprised Zelda by apologizing for having doubts about whether the precinct actually needed her. Zelda had to admit being recognized for her small role in helping solve the case was nice.

Just as they were about to leave, the captain spoke up again. “One more thing, ladies. I couldn’t help but notice that you two seemed rather...friendly. Personally I don’t encourage romantic relationships in the workplace, but since I’m not the one employing Miss. Spellman, I can’t technically prohibit it either. So all I ask is that you keep it professional.”

“Yes sir,” Was Lilith’s response, and Zelda just nodded feeling a tad hot. 

So professional it was. Although that didn’t stop Lilith from kissing Zelda breathless in the basement away from prying eyes. Like she was doing right now.

“I’m so glad it’s Friday,” Lilith said after she broke the kiss. “I’m looking forward to having you all to myself this weekend.”

“Agreed. Just remember Hilda is returning from her honeymoon later today so I’ll probably help her pack tonight and maybe tomorrow. But other than that I’m all yours.”

“Good, cause I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of going on or first real date together.”

“But of course,” Zelda said as excitement fluttered in her stomach. “What do you have in mind?”

“That’s my secret,” Lilith answered as she took Zelda’s hand and headed to the elevator. “Just be ready Saturday around five.”

* * *

When Zelda entered the Spellman house later that evening the familiar smell of Hilda’s cooking was in the air. Zelda could feel her mouth start to water as she walked to the kitchen in search of the smell’s origin. 

“Hilda!” Zelda hadn’t expected to see her sister in the kitchen off all places. Shouldn’t she be packing?

Hilda quickly straightened up from where she was checking on something in the oven and enveloped Zelda in a hug, which to her surprise Zelda not only allowed but also returned with equal vigor. 

“Ah, Zelds it’s so good to see you!” Hilda squealed as she released Zelda and gestured for her to take a seat opposite her at the kitchen table “How have you been?”

“Good,” Zelda replied enthusiastically “Really good.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Hilda eyed Zelda up and down suspiciously. “You sorted everything out with Lilith?”

Zelda nodded and felt herself smile. “Yes, everything is great now. But let’s not talk about me. How was the honeymoon? I hope my new brother in law spoiled you.”

“It was just perfect. It really was the most romantic and relaxing five days I’ve ever had.”

“I bet it was,” Zelda winked at her sister wickedly causing her to blush. “Where is your charming husband anyway?” Zelda asked looking around the kitchen expecting him to appear from behind her.

“He’s at the shop at the moment just to make sure everything ran smoothly in our absence.”

“But he’ll come over to help us pack soon right?” As much as Zelda still dreaded the fact that Hilda had to leave, she decided it would be better to just rip it off like a bandaid. The longer Hilda lingered before moving out completely, the harder it was going to be for Zelda.

“No, it won’t be necessary. I’m just going to take some clothes for now and other bits and bobs. I’m not quite sure it’s going to work out in Doctor Cee’s downstairs living area.”

Zelda’s brows knotted in confusion.

“His kitchen is very small,” Hilda confessed in a whisper. “And there’s nowhere for me to have a little garden. But I promised that I’ll give it a try for a week or so.”

“And if you’re not happy after a week?” Zelda asked carefully.

“Well, we - I mean I was hoping me and Doctor Cee could just live here. He doesn’t have a lot of stuff and he’ll definitely help out with-”

Zelda held up a hand to cut Hilda off. “You don’t even have to ask, Hilda. This will always be _our_ house. You will always be welcome here and the same applies to Doctor Cee.”

Hilda’s eyes went glassy as she reached out for Zelda’s hand giving it a squeeze. “Thank you Zelds.”

“No need to thank me. Besides, I must admit I have really missed your cooking.”

Hilda’s eyes softened at Zelda’s admittance, but then quickly changed into panic as she jumped off her chair. “The pie needs to get out of the oven!” 

Zelda just shook her head and let out a content sigh as she watched her sister scramble to get her oven mitts on. It was good to have Hilda back. She knew that her one week living arrangement was just a formality because there was no way Hilda would give up her garden or her kitchen. 

Doctor Cee arrived soon after that and joined them for dinner. It was pleasant to have the kitchen full of life again after the week of unnatural absence that loomed over the house like a dark cloud. Dinner was amazing and Zelda thanked Hilda for the meal and even offered to help her wash up, something she never did. She wasn’t going to take Hilda for granted again. 

Soon they retired to the parlor with some tea and cookies. Doctor Cee grabbed his phone to show Zelda the pictures they took on their honeymoon. It was mostly selfies of him and Hilda looking absolutely smitten with each other. There were a couple of photos of Hilda feeding an alpaca and stroking him softly. That sent Hilda into a vivid retelling of how the alpaca in question grabbed her sunhat in his mouth soon after the picture was taken and happily chomped on it. Hilda panicked and Doctor Cee bravely stepped up to try and retrieve Hilda’s hat from the animal, but there was no use. 

Zelda could just picture her sister freaking out and soon they were all in stitches as Doctor Cee reenacted his fruitless attempts to free the hat form the alpaca’s mouth. Once they all recovered Hilda announced it was time for them to call it a night and Zelda followed soon after. The quicker she fell asleep, the quicker she could see Lilith again. 

Once she had performed her bedtime rituals and was tucked into bed she gave Lilith a call.

“Miss me already?” Lilith said as she answered the phone.

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Perhaps.”

“I can practically see you rolling your eyes. I must admit I’m missing you too.”

Zelda’s heart practically swelled to double its size. “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Where are you taking me?”

“Oh no, Miss Spellman. Like I said it’s a surprise.”

Zelda groaned. “How am I supposed to know what to wear, Lilith?!”

“Anything you like. You look good in everything anyway.”

They were silent for a moment as Zelda snuggled deeper under the duvet and contemplated her options. “Fine.” She said through a yawn.

“Someone is tired. Go to sleep, Zelda and before you know it I’ll be there.”

Reluctantly Zelda agreed and bid Lilith a good night.

“Sweet dreams, darling.” Lilith responded before cutting the call. 

Zelda replayed the way Lilith said the term of endearment until she fell asleep.

* * *

When Zelda awoke Saturday morning she quickly realized that she had slept much later than intended. She hadn’t set an alarm the night before as she expected Hilda to wake her up at an acceptable time. With a groan, she rolled out of bed and tied a robe around herself before making her way downstairs. She fully expected the house to be empty at this hour, but when she entered the kitchen she was surprised to see Doctor Cee buttering toast while Hilda was behind the stove. She hesitated for just a moment before bidding them a good morning and taking her usual seat at the table. Seeing Doctor Cee in his pajama shorts, tanktop and slippers was going to take some getting used to. 

“Did you sleep well?” Hilda asked as she stepped closer to the table to deposit scrambled eggs into a dish.

“Too well. Why didn’t you wake me earlier, it’s nearly twelve!”

“We slept in too.” Hilda gestured to her husband as he came closer with the toast. “We all deserve a treat once in a while.”

Zelda couldn’t argue with that. “So what are your plans for the day?” 

“We’ll pop in by the shop a bit later just to say hi.”

“Hilda’s not officially on the clock yet.” Doctor Cee added after swallowing a bite of toast. “I wanted to give her an extra day off to pack.”

Zelda just smiled at him before shooting Hilda an accusing look. Had she not warned him about her plans? The guilt was evident on Hilda’s face and she quickly changed the topic. 

“What are you getting up to today?” She asked Zelda.

“I’m seeing Lilith later today. She’s taking me out this evening.”

“Where are you guys going?”

Zelda shrugged her shoulders. “It’s a surprise.”

“How exciting!”

Zelda bit her lip. Some might see it as exciting, but Zelda quite like being in control of things, and not knowing what to expect wasn’t a feeling she enjoyed. 

Mercifully Doctor Cee changed the subject again and Zelda listened to the conversation with half an ear as she opened one of her morning newspapers. Not long after she finished the first paper Hilda and Doctor Cee went up to shower. Zelda picked up the next paper and tried to focus on her reading again, but since the was no chipper conversation around her she found her thoughts drifting off to her date. She had no clue what to expect. Would they go to a restaurant? Or somewhere else? Lilith was quite the spontaneous woman and who knew what to expect. 

Zelda put the newspaper aside and lit a cigarette. She still had no idea what to wear. What if she was under or overdressed for the occasion? She tried to convince herself that there was no reason to be anxious. It was just a date, and she trusted Lilith. Surely she wouldn’t take her anywhere that would make her uncomfortable.

“Earth to Zelda!”

Zelda’s eyes shot up to find Hilda standing in front of her, obviously ready to leave.

“You seem to be 100 miles away. Everything okay?”

Zelda nodded. “Just thinking about my date tonight.”

“You nervous?” Hilda asked raising her eyebrows.

“No,” Zelda answered quickly. “I’m just looking forward to it, that’s all.”

Hilda seemed unconvinced but nodded none the less. “Well, we’re off. I’ll be back soon.”

As soon as Zelda heard the car pull away she made her way upstairs. She opened the curtains and made her bed as always. Checking her phone she realized she had a text message from Lilith.

_Good morning! Hope you slept well. Can’t wait to see you later.  
P.S you’re welcome to pack an overnight bag if you want to spend the night ;)_

Zelda couldn’t help but smile as she typed a quick response. Packing she could do. She grabbed a bag from the top of her closet and started getting the necessities together. Soon the bag stood ready to go by the foot of her bed. The only thing missing from it was the makeup that she was still going to use later.

Zelda strolled absently around the house in her pajamas smoking as she went. Eventually, it was an acceptable time to start getting ready and Zelda went upstairs to draw herself a bath. As she slid into the warm water she did her best to relax. _Honestly, you have nothing to be nervous about,_ she chided herself. _It’s just Lilith._

Once Zelda felt clean enough she grabbed her robe again and settled behind her vanity. She placed her hair in rollers and did her makeup the way she always did. That at least soothed her nerves al little bit as she went through the familiar motions. 

As she placed the final touches on her lipstick she heard the front door open and close. It could only be Hilda, Zelda thought glancing up to check the time. She had a little less than an hour before Lilith arrived and she had yet to think of anything appropriate to wear. Hastily she walked over to her closet and started going through the options.

High collared black dress? No, too formal. Leopard print skirt? Maybe but with what blouse? Oh, the dress she wore to Hilda’s wedding? No, too revealing. And so it went. 20 minutes had passed and still, Zelda couldn’t find a suitable outfit.

Frustrated with the entire situation, Zelda threw the last outfit that she deemed inappropriate on the growing heap of clothes that covered her bed. 

The bedroom door opened slightly. “Knock, knock. I just want to grab the suitcase in the - oh my!” Hilda stopped short as she entered the room and saw the chaos on Zelda’s bed.

“What’s going on here Zelds?” 

“I can’t find anything to wear for tonight,” Zelda whined as she threw herself down in front of her vanity again. 

“Wow, you really are nervous.” Hilda walked up behind Zelda and eyed her in the mirror. “What’s up?”

“I just want everything to be perfect tonight.”

“If I didn’t know any better I would have thought that this was your first date with Lilith!” Hilda teased. 

Zelda immediately dropped her gaze. Well, technically it was, but Hilda didn’t need to know that.

“Zelds?” 

She stood up again and started putting some of the clothes back into the closet. 

“This isn’t your first date right?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Hilda.” Zelda lied with her back turned towards her sister. She felt terrible. She supposed there would be no harm in telling Hilda what had really happened, but Zelda still felt ashamed. Besides she’d have to check with Lilith first.

She felt Hilda’s soft hand on her shoulder. “You know you can tell me anything.”

Zelda turned around and bit her lip. Hilda looked worried and confused as she tried to work out what was going on.

Somewhere downstairs the doorbell rang. “That’s probably Lilith. Excuse me a moment please Hilda.”

Relieved to be interrupted Zelda dashed down the stairs. She caught her reflection in the mirror near the door. She wasn’t close to being ready with her hair still in rollers and her robe tied loosely around her waist. 

Never the less she opened the door to reveal Lilith who, to no one’s surprise, looked fabulous. She wore those sinful dark jeans again with a loose T-shirt and boots. Her leather jacket was slung over her arm.

“Well, when I said wear anything I didn’t exactly mean this.” Lilith teased as she looked Zelda up and down.

Zelda blushed as she let Lilith in, closing the door behind her. “I’m sorry. I just can’t figure out what to wear and Hida is asking questions.” 

“No worries about the outfit Zelda. I’m early in any case so there’s still time to sort that out.”

Zelda nodded and headed in the direction of the stairs. Lilith grabbed her gently by the wrist and pulled her into her arms

“Don’t I even get a proper hello?” She asked with mock disbelief.

Zelda smirked. “I do apologize.” Due to her state of undress, the height difference between them was a slight obstacle but Zelda pushed herself up on her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss on Lilith’s lips. 

“Better?” 

“Much better.” Lilith grabbed Zelda’s hand and lead them up the stairs. “Let’s sort out this outfit of yours, shall we?”

Thankfully when they entered Zelda’s room again, Hilda was gone.

“Yikes.” Lilith let out when she took in the pile of clothes on Zelda’s bed. “Okay, let’s have a look.” Lilith dug through the pile of clothes. After a while, she handed Zelda a pair of jeans.

“You don’t have to dress up too much. It’s just me.”

Zelda nodded and Lilith walked over to the closet. “I know just what will go nicely with that.” She mumbled to herself before revealing a red blouse. “I just love red on you.”

“Thank you, Lilith. I don’t know why I was overthinking it so much.”

Lilith smiled at her. “No worries. You get dressed and I’ll start hanging some of these things up again.”

Lilith respectfully kept her back towards Zelda as she got dressed. By the time Zelda sat down at her vanity to remove the rollers, Lilith had hung all the clothes back up again. She sat down on Zelda’s bed watching as she carefully removed the rollers one by one.

“You said Hilda was asking questions?” 

“I think she finds it suspicious that I was so nervous about the date. She wondered if this was our first date.”

Lilith nodded. “What did you tell her?”

“Nothing yet. I’m not sure if we should tell her the truth about our prior arrangement.”

“Well, do you want to?”

“Do you?” Zelda turned to face Lilith.

“I don’t mind. I’m happy with whatever you decide. And for the record, I doubt that Hilda will be upset with us if we come clean.”

Zelda nodded and fluffed her hair one last time before getting up to grab her overnight bag and adding the last few items. 

“Let’s go tell her the truth then.”

Zelda placed her bag by the front door before she and Lilith went in search of Hilda. They found her in the parlor bending next to the couch.

“Oh hello Lilith. I’m just grabbing some knitting work to take with to Doctor Cee.” She explained before bending again in search of some wool.

“Hilda, can we talk for a moment?” Zelda asked, her voice strained. 

“Is something wrong?” Hilda looked from Zelda to Lilith as she sat down.

“Not exactly no,” Lilith spoke up as she pulled Zelda to sit next to her opposite Hilda. “There is just something Zelda wants to tell you.”

Zelda took a deep breath. “Remember when I said I was going to bring Lilith to the wedding as my plus one?”

Hilda nodded. “Of course.”

“I… I’m not sure how to say this.” Zelda looked to Lilith for guidance. Lilith took her hand into hers and rubbed it soothingly. “Just say it how it is.”

Zelda looked back to Hilda. “Lilith and I never dated. I panicked because I didn’t have anyone to bring to the wedding so I lied to you.”

Hilda’s eyebrows knotted in confusion. “But Lilith did escort you to the wedding and the dinner we had and... _oh_.” Hilda seemed to understand suddenly. 

“Zelda asked me to pretend to be her girlfriend for a couple of days,” Lilith spoke up. "I didn’t want to at first, but I agreed.”

Hilda seemed astounded as she tried to form a sentence. “So everything was an act?”

“Yes and no. We were acting at first but soon we both developed real feelings for each other.”

“Hilda, I’m so sorry for lying to you. I wanted to be honest but you were so excited and I didn’t want to disappoint you.” Zelda said in a whisper. 

“You asked me for advice last Sunday regarding your relationship. Was that just an act too?”

“No. I truthfully was scared. And Lilith and I did have an argument so to speak. We both realized that we liked each other...and I was terrified of my feelings for her.”

Hilda just nodded trying to wrap her head around this new information.

Lilith spoke up again. “Just to clarify Hilda, it’s not an act anymore. Earlier this week we talked everything out and we’re in a real relationship now.”

Still, Hilda didn’t say anything and her silence was worrying Zelda. “I am sorry for deceiving you Hildie. Please don’t be upset.”

“It’s a lot of information to take in, but I’m not mad or upset,” Hilda said smiling. “I’m happy. Happy for both of you. If being in a fake relationship for a while is what it took to make you happy then I can’t complain.”

“Really?” Zelda certainly didn’t expect this type of reaction.

“Yes really,” Hilda said standing up. “Although I wish you didn’t feel the need to lie to me in the first place.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No more apologizing, Zelds. Now come here and hug me. The both of you.”

Zelda stood up and pulled Lilith along as the three women embraced. 

“Now, I’m sure there’s much more to the story and I’m looking forward to hearing it all, but for now I need to pack. And you two lovebirds have a date to get to.”

“Thank you, Hilda. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell Doctor Cee or Sabrina about all of this.”

“Of course. No go have fun you two!”

As Zelda made her way over to the door Hilda blocked Lilith with her body before she could exit the parlor.

“Please take good care of my sister, Lilith. She might not look it, but deep down she is a sensitive soul. If you hurt her…” Hilda’s eyes flickered dangerously for a moment. 

“I know. She has shared some of her past with me, so I fully understand your concern. I promise I will never hurt her in any way.”

“Good.” Hilda pushed Lilith in the direction of the front door. “Have a good night guys!” She said loud enough for Zelda to hear as well before disappearing back into the parlor.

“What was that all about?” Zelda asked as she looked in the direction that Hilda disappeared to, before unlocking the front door and stepping outside.

“Nothing really. Hilda just wants to make sure I have your best interests at heart.”

Zelda nodded. “Fair enough. She took it all rather well don’t you think?”

“Yes. But I kind of knew she would. More than anything Hilda just wants to see you happy.”

Once they were both buckled up in Lilith’s car, Zelda chanced her question again. “So where are you taking me?”

Lilith leaned over in her seat to whisper in Zelda’s ear, “Wait and see.” before planting a kiss on her cheek. 

Zelda groaned and Lilith smirked at her one last time before starting the car to head to their mystery destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while hey? I know I keep saying this, but the next one will most probably be the last installment of this fic. And that makes me sad. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. ❤❤


	16. XVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and smut. That's it. That's the entire chapter.

Zelda really wanted to be irritated with Lilith for keeping her in the dark, but her irritation and nerves from earlier quickly dissipated as Lilith started driving. She kept shooting Zelda amused looks and smirks as she neared the bridge that led out of Greendale.

“What on earth are you smirking about?” Zelda asked, shaking her head when she caught Lilith’s eye again.

“Nothing,” Lilith responded before focusing her attention back on the road. “I’m just happy I have such a lovely woman accompanying me tonight, that's all.”

Satisfied with the answer, Zelda smiled and relaxed against the seat. She bit her lip watching the trees blur past them as Lilith continued to drive. So, obviously they were not having their date in Greendale. She wondered if Lilith would be taking them into Riverdale for the evening, or if their destination was in another town completely. She resisted the urge to be like a petulant child and ask “Are we there yet?” Instead, she turned towards Lilith again.

“Can I try and guess where you’re taking me?”

“Sure.”

“Okay. So it’s not in Greendale. Correct?”

“Yip.”

“Is it in Riverdale?”

“Maybe.

“That’s not fair,” Zelda grumbled. “Just give me yes or no answers.”

“Ok fine. Yes, it’s in Riverdale.”

Zelda tried to picture what type of date options Riverdale offered before speaking up again. “Is it a restaurant?”

“Nope,” Lilith said with a popping sound. Clearly, she was enjoying this little game.

Zelda racked her mind. She didn’t make a habit of driving into Riverdale unless it had something to do with Sabrina. “You’re not taking me to see Sabrina are you?”

Lilith laughed. “As much as I enjoy your niece’s company I don’t plan on sharing you with anyone tonight.” 

Zelda went quiet again, deciding what her next question would be. Lilith glanced over at her again and seemed to pity her as she said, “I’ll give you a hint. We technically don’t have to leave the car to enjoy our date tonight.”

Zelda’s eyebrows knotted and she was just about to ask Lilith what she meant when the other woman proudly exclaimed: “We’re here!”

Where exactly here was, Zelda couldn’t say. They seemed to be coming up to an open field and a couple of cars were parked on it. As they got closer, Lilith slowed down and Zelda saw a big sign that read _'Twilight Drive-In'_. 

“A drive-in!” Zelda exclaimed. 

Lilith just smirked as she flashed a piece of paper to the attendant and concentrated on parking her car in front of the big white screen that Zelda hadn’t noticed before. As soon as Lilith maneuvered the car into the predetermined spot she killed the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt so she could fully turn herself towards Zelda before answering.

“Yeah, do you like it?” she asked sheepishly. Her earlier sense of confidence seemed to have diminished.

“Like it? I love it! I thought they closed this place down?” Zelda faintly remembered Sabrina complaining that the popular hang out was closing its doors.

“They still are, I think, they’ve just delayed it a bit. We have a couple more minutes before the movie starts. Want to go grab some snacks?”

Zelda unbuckled herself and followed Lilith to the concession stand. A small line had already formed, consisting mostly of teenagers and some young adults who chatted excitedly amongst each other as the line slowly moved. 

When they were next up to order Lilith leaned closer to whisper “What would you like?”

Zelda quickly scanned the available options before deciding on popcorn and a slushie. By the time they walked back to the car with two large slushies and an extra-large popcorn to share, the sun was already setting. Lilith increased her pace unlocking her door and balancing her slushie on the seat before racing around the car to open the passenger door for Zelda. Lilith softly closed the door behind Zelda, before disappearing around the back of the car. Zelda tried to catch a glimpse of her in the rearview mirror, but all she could see was the trunk of the car as Lilith popped it. Just as Zelda was about to sneak some popcorn into her mouth Lilith appeared with a blanket in her arms. Zelda quickly dropped the popcorn as Lilith slid into the car and placed her slushie in the cupholder.

“You can dig in Zelda, no need to wait for me,” Lilith said as she placed the blanket over the center console. “Just in case you get a bit chilly.” 

Zelda blushed at the realization that Lilith caught her, but nevertheless she grabbed at the popcorn again and popped some into her mouth before angling the container towards Lilith. Lilith gladly grabbed a handful before stuffing her face.

“So, what film is playing?” 

“Aladdin.” Lilith forced out through her mouth of popcorn.

Zelda cocked her head. “Really?” There were quite a lot of teenagers for the screening of a Disney film.

Lilith quickly swallowed her mouthful of popcorn. “Do you not like it?”

“No, I don’t mind it. I watched it with Sabrina years ago.”

Just then the screen went dark before the Disney logo appeared and Lilith jumped out of the car to grab the speakers from the nearby stand and maneuvered them through the window. She seemed to buzz with excitement as ‘Arabian Nights’ started to play and barely ever tore her eyes away from the screen.

Zelda too tried to focus on the movie, but couldn’t help but glance at Lilith in between bites of popcorn. Lilith hummed along to all the songs, singing under her breath to ‘A Whole New World’. Zelda worked hard to hide her smile, not wanting to embarrass Lilith.

Once they had consumed all the popcorn, Lilith moved the empty container out of the way and reached out to hold Zelda’s hand on top of the blanket. “You comfortable?”

Zelda just nodded before leaning over to place a quick peck on Lilith’s cheek. They stayed hand in hand for the rest of the movie, and before they knew it the end credits started rolling. 

“I hope you enjoyed that. I know it wasn’t your typical first date movie.” Lilith said, turning to face Zelda.

“No, I loved it. I particularly enjoyed your little performance of ‘A Whole New World'”.

Lilith blushed. “Don’t judge me. Disney films are a guilty pleasure of mine.”

“No judgment. It was very cute.”

Other cars were starting to leave and reluctantly Lilith let go of Zelda’s hand and got out of the car to place the speakers back on their stand. 

“So are you hungry?” Lilith asked once she was back in the car. “It’s still early and there’s a nice restaurant close by. Or we can order in?”

Zelda contemplated for a moment before answering, “Let’s order in.”

Lilith unlocked her phone opening the delivery app before handing it to Zelda. “You can choose and place the order. That way it should be ready by the time we get back to my place.”

Zelda scrolled through the options while Lilith drove. “How about pizza?”

“Sounds good.”

Zelda got Lilith’s pizza preference and quickly placed the order. “Okay, it should arrive in 30 minutes.” She said as she locked the phone. 

“Good, I’m starving.”

* * *

By the time they reached Lilith’s apartment, the app informed them that their food was five minutes away. 

“Do you want to go upstairs while I wait down here for the food?” Lilith asked as she grabbed Zelda’s overnight bag from the backseat.

Zelda nodded as she took her bag from Lilith as well as the keys to the apartment. When she entered the apartment she fumbled for the light switch for a second before managing to find it. Once the room was illuminated she moved to Lilith’s bedroom and placed her bag by the foot of the bed before removing her shoes. Just as she started to make her way back to the lounge area, she heard a knock from the front door.

She opened the door for Lilith, who exclaimed “Special delivery!” before entering the apartment and setting the pizza on the coffee table.

Zelda rolled her eyes as she closed the door and followed Lilith to the couch.

“Do you want a plate?” 

“No it’s fine, we can just eat out of the box.” Zelda sat down and grabbed a slice. The pizza looked delicious with its stringy cheese and Zelda’s mouth watered. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until now. She took a bite and moaned at the tase. “God, that’s _so_ good.” She said bringing her hand up to her mouth as she spoke. 

Beside her, Lilith let out a strangled cough at the sound of Zelda’s moan causing Zelda to blush. Lilith quickly placed her almost finished slice back in the box before making her way to the kitchen. 

“Do you want anything to drink?” She asked as she reached into the kitchen cabinet for a glass.

“Just water please.”

Lilith returned to the couch placing two glasses of water on coasters, before digging in again. Zelda immediately grabbed her glass and took a gulp, still feeling slightly embarrassed about the weird sound she made. 

They ate in relative silence until they were both stuffed. Zelda closed her box that still contained half a pizza and pushed it away slightly.

“I’m so full now,” She groaned resting back on the couch and closing her eyes. 

She heard Lilith chuckle at her before getting up to place her empty box in the kitchen and placing Zelda’s remaining slices in a lunchbox.

Zelda felt the couch dip slightly as Lilith took her seat again. “I don’t hope you’ve overdone it now.”

Zelda peered from under her lashes to find Lilith looking at her with a shadow of concern in her eyes. “No, no. I’m good. I just feel sleepy.”

“Well, we can go to bed if you like?”

“No way,” Zelda pushed herself up a bit straighter on the couch. “What kind of a date would I be if I went to sleep before ten o'clock?”

“I really wouldn’t mind, Zelda.” Lilith leaned forward to tuck a rogue curl behind Zelda’s ear. 

Zelda leaned into Lilith’s touch and smiled as she moved to cup her cheek. “I’m content here. With you.”

Lilith removed her hand and Zelda immediately missed her touch. She relaxed against the back of the couch again, this time more on her side so she could fully face Lilith. Lilith copied Zelda’s position kicking her boots off and curling her legs up on the couch so that her knees were brushing against Zelda’s thigh.

Once they were both comfortable, Lilith looked at Zelda intensely, making her stomach flutter. 

“What are you thinking about?” Zelda inquired softly. 

“Just how beautiful you are.”

Zelda blushed and looked away.

Gentle fingers brushed over her cheek again, guiding her to meat Lilith’s gaze once more.

“I mean it, Zelda, especially when you blush like that.”

Zelda felt her blush deepen further at Lilith’s words. She scooted a bit closer to Lilith, allowing her own fingers to brush over Lilith’s sharp cheekbones, smiling as Lilith’s eyes fluttered close.

“I’m so happy. You make me so, so happy. I never thought I’d find happiness again after...everything, but you…” Zelda had to stop speaking to swallow the lump in her throat. “You make me feel safe and loved and I can’t thank you enough.”

Lilith slowly moved Zelda’s hand away from her cheek and placed a gentle kiss on her palm. “You have nothing to thank me for. It’s an honor to make you happy. To love you.”

Zelda offered Lilith a sad smile. The tears that had been collecting while they spoke finally broke free, and a single droplet rolled down her cheek.

“I know that we’ve only really known each other for a short time, but I love you, Lilith. So much.”

Lilith’s lip quivered and her eyes turned glassy. “I love you too. I wish I had met you sooner.”

Zelda sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “Look at us, two soppy messes.”

Lilith leaned in to kiss Zelda soundly on the lips before pulling away and resting her forehead against Zelda’s. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Zelda closed the small distance between them once more. She flicked her tongue out against Lilith’s lips, tracing over her cupid’s bow. She pushed Lilith back against the couch throwing her legs over her’s successfully straddling her. Lilith rested her hands on Zelda’s waist, pulling her closer as they continued to kiss, exploring each other’s mouths. Eventually, the need for oxygen became overpowering and Zelda pulled back to catch her breath. They locked eyes again, Lilith’s eyes clouded with lust. Zelda moved back in for another kiss before focusing her attention on kissing down Lilith’s jawline. Lilith moaned as Zelda moved to the sensitive skin on her neck and slipped her hand under the loose material of Lilith’s t-shirt. 

Without warning, Lilith lifted Zelda off her lap and pushed her onto her back on the couch. Zelda gasped at the sudden change of position and tried to move her arms but found that they were pinned above her head.

Lillith gave her a sinful smile. “Oh no, Zelda.” She purred. “Tonight I want to fuck you.”

Zelda shuddered at the words causing Lilith to pause and relinquish her grip on Zelda’s wrists. “But only if you want me too. If you want to wait, that's more than alright with me.”

“No, please continue.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to pressure you in any way.”

Zelda was touched by Lilith’s concern, not used to having such a patient lover. “I want this,” she said, pushing herself up to ghost her breath over Lilith’s lips. “I want you.”

Lilith kissed Zelda and gently pushed her back down. Then one by one she started to unbutton Zelda’s blouse, marveling as more of her ivory skin was revealed. Zelda arched her back in order to get the blouse off completely, allowing Lilith to unhook her bra and slide it down her arms. Pert pink nipples were revealed and Lilith involuntarily licked her lips as she reached out to cup Zelda’s breasts.

“Beautiful,” Lilith murmured before leaning in to flick her tongue over a nipple, marveling as it hardened further. Zelda let out a moan when Lilith’s mouth closed around her nipple. Her tongue swirled around as she suckled on it. She released it with a loud pop, before moving to the other breast, giving it equal attention. All the while Zelda had her eyes screwed shut, one hand snaked into Lilith’s hair, the other gripping the couch cushion. 

“Lilith,” Zelda moaned. “Please.”

Lilith came up for air. “Please what, my darling?” 

“Please,” Zelda swallowed, trying to collect her thoughts. “Please take off some clothes, you’re overdressed.”

Lilith chuckled, but obliged and pulled her top over her head. “Better?”

“Much.” Zelda ran her hands up Lilith's torso and palmed her breast through her red lace bra.

Lilith leaned into Zelda’s touch for a moment before remembering her earlier objective. She backed up a bit to plant kisses below Zelda’s breasts, making her way down Zelda’s stomach, kissing as she went. She licked the skin just above Zelda’s jeans before straightening up, her hand hovering above the button.

“May I?”

Zelda nodded quickly and bit her lip as she watched Lilith unbutton her jeans. She lifted herself off the couch to help Lilith peel the jeans off, nearly throwing them both off in the process, causing them to giggle. 

Once Zelda’s jeans were disposed of, Lilith crawled back up to kiss her roughly. Zelda moaned at the sensation of Lilith’s bra scraping over her nipples and she couldn’t help but rut herself against Lilith’s thigh, desperate for some type of friction.

“What do you need?” Lilith whispered against her lips.

“You,” Zelda panted. “Inside me.”

Lilith smiled and slipped a hand in between them, slowly tracing Zelda’s soft skin as she made her way to her destination. She cupped Zelda through her underwear, feeling the heat radiate off the damp material. Instinctively Zelda bucked up to meet Lilith’s hand. 

Lilith hooked her fingers beneath the waistband of Zelda’s panties and dragged them down her legs, throwing them somewhere in the apartment. Lilith sat back to admire the woman beneath her: Her chest and face were flushed and her breathing was uneven. She reached out to Lilith again, pulling her closer.

“Please Lilith. Don’t make me beg.”

As much as she would like to make her beg, Lilith felt that it would be cruel to tease Zelda any longer. Lilith moved her hand and took a shaky breath when she felt Zelda’s wetness. She gathered up some of the wetness on the tip of her fingers and moved up to circle Zelda’s clit. Zelda moaned and let her legs fall open even more, throwing her head back in the process. 

Lilith ghosted her lips over Zelda’s ear and whispered, “Does that feel good?”

“Yes,” Zelda keened enjoying the feeling of Lilith working her over in circles

Without warning, Lilith’s fingers disappeared and Zelda’s eyes flew open in frustration.

“What are-”

The rest of Zelda’s sentence was lost as Lilith slipped two fingers into her heat. They both moaned at the sensation. Lilith started to curl her fingers and Zelda moved her hips in tandem, desperate for more. 

“Faster,” she breathed as she grabbed a hold of Lilith’s hair again.

Lilith did as she was told, upping the pace and glancing down at her hand, watching as she pumped in and out of Zelda. Zelda moaned with each thrust and when Lilith glanced back up she saw Zelda had her arm thrown over her eyes and her face contorted in pleasure. Lilith’s stomach fluttered at the sounds Zelda was making and she could feel her own wetness pooling between her legs.

Zelda’s back arched up as she got closer and closer and her breathing ragged.

“Zelda?” Lilith enquired. 

Zelda just moaned in response, too far gone to even speak.

“Look at me,” Lilith commanded. 

Zelda’s eyes snapped open. 

“Just look at you. An absolutely gorgeous mess. All hot and wanting. I can tell you’re close, is that right?”

Zelda just nodded eagerly and bit her lip. 

“Are you gonna come for me?”

Zelda nodded again, her hips snapping up frantically now as she met Lilith thrust for thrust.

“I want to hear you, Zelda. Are you gonna come for me sweet girl?”

“Yes!” Zelda choked out.

Lilith moved to her ear again, biting in the lobe for good measure before whispering, “I can’t hear you. Louder.”

“Yes,” Zelda whined again louder as Lilith instructed. “Oh my God _yes! Yes, yes, ye_ -”

Zelda cut herself off as she moaned loudly as she came, her hips jerking as she saw white behind her eyes. Lilith continued to move her fingers, helping Zelda through the aftershocks of her orgasm. 

Lilith removed her hand as Zelda’s body relaxed. Her eyes were still shut as she tried to catch her breath. Lilith couldn’t help but lick her fingers clean, and she moaned at the taste.

When she finished, she found Zelda peering up at her. 

“What?” Lilith asked innocently as she moved closer to Zelda again. “Am I not allowed to have my cake and eat it?” 

Zelda smirked against Lilith’s lips, tasting herself. “Thank you, Lilith,” She whispered once they broke the kiss, “That was fantastic.”

Lilith smirked and got off Zelda, extending a hand to help her off the couch.

“Come on,” she said. “It’s time for me to eat my cake.”

* * *

Zelda was pleased when she awoke before Lilith the next morning. Lilith lay sprawled out on her stomach with her arms under the pillows. The tan skin of her back was on display with the duvet barely covering her ass. Her face was turned towards Zelda and her wild curls spread out on the pillow. Zelda watched the rise and fall of her body as she breathed and marveled at how peaceful her face looked as she slept. Knowing she wouldn’t be caught, Zelda raked her eyes over Lilith’s body. Her eyes landed on the tiny freckles that covered her back. She hadn’t noticed that the night before. Well, she was a bit preoccupied. 

Activities from mere hours ago flooded Zelda’s mind. Lilith stayed true to her word, eating Zelda out like a woman starved. She pushed her over the edge with her skillful tongue multiple times until Zelda was entirely spent. She wanted to reciprocate, but Lilith assured her that there was ample time for that after Zelda got some rest. 

Zelda let out a content sigh and started to gently trace her fingers over Lilith’s back. She knew she probably should let Lilith sleep, but still, she couldn’t resist leaning in and placing a kiss on her temple. It was soft enough not to wake the sleeping woman, or so she thought. When she pulled back, sleepy blue eyes greeted her.

“Good morning.” Lilith had an adorably dozy smile plastered on her face.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Zelda said apologetically as she tucked some of Lilith’s wild curls behind her ear.

Lilith stretched and turned on to her side to fully face Zelda before answering. “I certainly don’t mind waking up to such a sight.”

Zelda smiled before letting her eyes drift lower to Lilith’s breasts. She was making no attempt to conceal them under the duvet. 

“Do you like what you see, Spellman?”

Zelda’s eyes snapped back up at the words, a look of surprise crossing her features.

“What?” Lilith moved closer, snaking her hand around Zelda’s waist. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, not at all,” Zelda said, becoming more flustered by the second. “It’s just that I’ve heard those exact words from you before.”

Lilith frowned. “I don’t think so. Are you confusing me with a previous lover?” She teased. 

“It was a dream I had.” Zelda clarified feeling her cheeks redden. 

“You are blushing Zelda.” Lilith chuckled before realization hit her. “Wait, was it a dirty dream?” Zelda nodded. “Oh my, tell me all about it.”

Zelda quickly recounted the dream she had a couple of weeks ago. How Lilith interrogated her about her feelings and how she basically shoved her cleavage in Zelda’s face before asking the exact same question she asked a minute ago.

“My, my Zelda Spellman. Who knew you had it in you.” Lilith grinned wickedly. “Now tell me, what did dream Zelda do next?”

Zelda felt more confident, relieved that she was met with no judgment. She hooked one of her legs over Lilith’s side and moved to whisper against her lips. “How about I show you?” 

She slowly brought her lips towards Lilith, closing the distance between them. Their lips moved together slowly and sensually and Lilith groaned into the kiss as she felt Zelda’s tongue swipe over hers. 

Zelda pulled back, leaving Lilith wanting more. “And then I woke up.” She said simply, trying her best to pretend that she was unaffected by the kiss.

Lilith pouted. “Are you serious?”

“Believe me, I was just as disappointed. The good news is this is not a dream, which I still find hard to believe.” Zelda removed the leg that she had thrown over Lilith and nudged her to lie on her back. She let her fingertips ghost over Lilith’s chest. “Would you like me to continue where the dream left off?”

Lilith nodded eagerly and snaked her hand into Zelda’s hair, pulling her down to her breasts. Zelda wasted no time in pulling a tan bud into her mouth sucking it hard and grazing her teeth over it. Lilith hissed and the pleasurable pain, tugging on Zelda’s hair in response. Zelda was eager to get to the real treasure though and moved her mouth down placing an open mouth kiss on the underside of Lilith’s breast. She positioned herself between Lilith’s legs as she kissed her taut tummy, and flicked her tongue around her belly button. 

Lilith’s hands urged Zelda down impatiently, but Zelda decided to tease her some more. She grazed her nose through Lilith’s fine hairs, groaning as she smelled her arousal. Lilith tensed as Zelda breathed over her damp folds, expecting her to consume her. Instead, Zelda moved to her inner thigh and placed small kisses there before moving to the next one.

Lilith groaned in frustration “Come on, Zelda.”

Zelda peeked up at Lilith to find her staring at her with hooded eyes. “What’s the magic word?”

“Please. Just fuck me already.”

At that Zelda gave Lilith a long lick from top to bottom and groaned at the taste. She was _delicious_. She moved her tongue back to Lilith’s entrance sliding it in and out. Lilith moaned above her as Zelda focused her attention on her clit, flicking her tongue over it before sucking it into her mouth. She kept sucking and flicking her tongue out ever so often, and before she knew it Lilith was bucking her hips uncontrollably and throwing her head back in pleasure. Zelda kept at it, knowing Lilith was close. Suddenly Lilith’s back arched up from the bed pushing herself up into Zelda, making her wonder if she was going to suffocate. But it was worth it as Lilith came with Zelda’s name on her lips.

Zelda continued to lap at Lilith cleaning up all the evidence before crawling back up to her face. 

Lilith regarded her with a drowsy look on her face. “Well, Miss. Spellman, I’m sure that was better than any dream could be.”

Zelda buried her head in Lilith’s neck, melting into her as Lilith pulled her closer. Yes, this was better than anything Zelda had ever imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of the fun little ride we've been on! I'm feeling oddly emotional because it's over now haha. Thanks to each and every one of you guys for reading and commenting and just sticking with this story. Honestly, your comments helped me through a really rough two months and I really appreciate it! 
> 
> I'm working on a new AU so stay tuned and please stay safe in the midst of all the craziness


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